J is for Journalists: Why We Must Defend Them
Note: This post is part of an A to Z blogging challenge that I’m slowly muddying my way through.
I’m taking a break from my typical parenting and product review fodder to get a little political and serious.
Some of you may only know me as a blogger, but I have been a journalist in some shape or form for more than two decades, starting wayyyyy back in college, when I was the editor-in-chief of our college newspaper before graduating with a degree in journalism.
After that, I went onto a career in marketing and communications, and then teaching, but all the while, I’ve been working as a freelance writer and editor. When I became a high school English teacher, I spent countless hours talking to my high school students about the difference between a weak source and a credible one. When we studied argumentative writing, I would tell them that without credible sources, your argument is fallible, if not completely faulty. My career has now circled back to the corporate world, but I continue to work as a freelance writer for numerous publications. Even if I’m not writing about “serious” subjects like the economy and politics, I take my work seriously, fact-checking and taking copious notes during interviews; I don’t ever want to be charged with misquoting someone.
Therefore, when I hear of people attacking those responsible for investigating the news, I grow disheartened…and angry. The freedom of the press is one of our fundamental rights as a nation. In fact, one of our Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, wrote extensively about how critical it is for a nation to have an open and free press, stating, for example, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”
Now, let’s get one thing clear: when I speak of journalists, I’m NOT talking about the talking heads on propaganda machines like Fox News, InfoWars and NRA TV. That type of “reporting”—biased, unhinged, unchecked—gives all journalism a bad name.
I’m talking about journalists who work tirelessly in to uncover the truth. Who spend hours on the phone and in the trenches talking to people, whether they’re writing about politics, healthcare, the economy, or community revitalization. I’m talking about reporters who are dedicated to their craft and recognize the power that their words can carry. And yes, this includes Bob Woodward, the longtime Washington Post investigative reporter (now editor) who just released a book that takes a harsh look at the Trump presidency. This is the same reporter who was part of the team that broke the Watergate story—you know, that guy.
But today, thanks to our president crying “FAKE NEWS!” every time he reads an article or listens to a report that paints him in a bad light, journalists are facing increased violence. Due to his inflammatory rhetoric, threats against journalists are growing, both online and in real life. And this pandemonium reached a crescendo recently, after after the New York Times published an anonymous letter about the Trump administration’s omnipresent chaos.
By screaming that everything negative about him is a lie, the president and his cronies (I’m looking at you, Sarah Sanders) are not just inciting a war on the media—rather, they’re provoking a war on the truth. At his rally, he calls out the “failing New York Times” (truth: It’s not). He says that the press is “dangerous and sick” and the “enemy of the people.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
To many of Trump’s die-hard fans, lies are no longer lies but “mistakes.”
“What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening,” he’s told his supporters. In Trumpistan, proven truths are decried as fake and false boasts are recorded as true.
Up is down and down is up, and no one is expected to question otherwise. Gaslighting is in full effect.
Here is the truth:
Journalists don’t become journalists because it’s a glamorous job. It’s not.
Journalists don’t become journalists to get rich. Most of them won’t.
Journalists don’t become journalists to become famous. Again, most won’t.
Journalists become journalists because they believe in seeking the truth and reporting on it. They are intent on protecting the right to free speech, and in holding people in power accountable for their actions.
Journalists become journalists because they want to protect the free exchange of information, which is a foundation of our democracy.
Despite what you’ve heard, most journalists are fair, ethical and accurate. They offer credible sources and don’t distort facts or skew them to their own bias. They keep extensive records and protect their sources, sometimes at their own peril.
Most journalists understand the power that their words hold. We should, as a nation, respect them for that.
#endrant
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