Integrity, Truth, Curiosity is What Really Makes a Journalist
In an age of fake news and alternative facts one might be considered crazy to want to pursue a career in journalism, with so many consumers putting their trust in other media outlets and traditional mediums hanging on by slim advertising accounts, but it’s the heart of a reporter that allows faith in the belief that a journalism career can be prosperous. A heart that beats with passion for truth and integrity, an inkling to help those who may not be noticed, and the drive to seek out justice and write the rough draft of history. With these three goals in mind, one may get up in the morning, step out into a world that persecutes the press, and proudly say, “I am a journalist, and I write for truth.”
The truth is that as an avid reader and learner, growing up, I have always pictured myself standing in front of a crowd and telling the masses something that only I knew. As a child, I believed that this meant I was destined to be a school teacher, the true “holder of knowledge” at the time. I imagined that I would be the one to tell others how to think and when to do it. In middle school, I believed that my purpose was now going to be to create something new. I saw myself as a writer, someone who could tell a story that only I knew of and that would shock the world and create a name for myself. It wasn’t until my first day of high school, freshman year, that I discovered a new calling, something that fit all the criteria I was looking for, journalism.
Though I still wanted to be knowledgeable and tell stories, journalism introduced me to two other qualities that I wanted to maintain in my life, truth and integrity. Until that point, it was easy to say that I knew something or make up something on the spot, but it was harder to look at real events, real people, and create something that wasn’t fabricated but was still unknown. Throughout high school, I grew with our journalism program, understanding that a career in this field would require more than just writing down the facts and creating a narrative. It was going to take maturity, and compassion.
The truth is that as an avid reader and learner, growing up, I have always pictured myself standing in front of a crowd and telling the masses something that only I knew. As a child, I believed that this meant I was destined to be a school teacher, the true “holder of knowledge” at the time. I imagined that I would be the one to tell others how to think and when to do it. In middle school, I believed that my purpose was now going to be to create something new. I saw myself as a writer, someone who could tell a story that only I knew of and that would shock the world and create a name for myself. It wasn’t until my first day of high school, freshman year, that I discovered a new calling, something that fit all the criteria I was looking for, journalism.
Though I still wanted to be knowledgeable and tell stories, journalism introduced me to two other qualities that I wanted to maintain in my life, truth and integrity. Until that point, it was easy to say that I knew something or make up something on the spot, but it was harder to look at real events, real people, and create something that wasn’t fabricated but was still unknown. Throughout high school, I grew with our journalism program, understanding that a career in this field would require more than just writing down the facts and creating a narrative. It was going to take maturity, and compassion.
Since most characters are easy to formulate, the writer is never challenged by what they write. As a journalist, I am constantly challenged to speak out, listen, and find voices that have yet to be heard. Every interview is a chance for my own understanding to grow as much as it is a chance for the public to reap new knowledge. Despite the many times I disagree with an interviewee, it takes incredible stamina to put one’s own beliefs aside.
Finally, after a story has been composed and the ink has dried on a fresh publication, the final most important part to a journalist is having a finished product that can be distributed and make a difference in the world. It is the controversy, the conversation, and the communication that allows for history to be written and for a reporter, like myself, to stand up to those who call us “fake and biased press.” It’s men and women, true patriots, who call out the people with power and force them to see the huddled masses who have lost their voices.
While journalism may not be a celebrated career and those who pursue it may never be wealthy or well-known, it is a job that not many can do correctly. It is a privilege to be privy to the inside workings of a free country. It is a patriotic duty to be part of a well-working and flourishing fourth estate. It is an honor to walk in the footsteps of great men and women who have built this country by exposing fraud, injustice, and giving a voice to the pariahs. It is because of the freedom writers before me that I too have chosen to stand up with a pen and paper in hand and say, “I am a journalist, and I write for you.”
Finally, after a story has been composed and the ink has dried on a fresh publication, the final most important part to a journalist is having a finished product that can be distributed and make a difference in the world. It is the controversy, the conversation, and the communication that allows for history to be written and for a reporter, like myself, to stand up to those who call us “fake and biased press.” It’s men and women, true patriots, who call out the people with power and force them to see the huddled masses who have lost their voices.
While journalism may not be a celebrated career and those who pursue it may never be wealthy or well-known, it is a job that not many can do correctly. It is a privilege to be privy to the inside workings of a free country. It is a patriotic duty to be part of a well-working and flourishing fourth estate. It is an honor to walk in the footsteps of great men and women who have built this country by exposing fraud, injustice, and giving a voice to the pariahs. It is because of the freedom writers before me that I too have chosen to stand up with a pen and paper in hand and say, “I am a journalist, and I write for you.”