[Journalism]First entry: Reporters in the line of fire

Reporters in the line of fire

Journal Entry Question #10 for Journalism

In one recent J-Talk, we discussed the Reporters Without Borders 2006 report on Press Freedom. The report reveals the harsh realities that journalists are facing around the world for the sake of bearing witness to the truth. Some pay the ultimate price. This begs the question: Why do journalists struggle so hard, sometimes even risking their own lives, to get the story? We don't need to look very far for recent examples of this. Journalists in our own city are compromising their safety to bring a little justice to citizens' lives. Check out Peter Silverman's (from City TV's Silverman Helps) brush with a crooked business man with a temper

I think journalists struggle so hard to just get to the truth, because, as much as the public has the want and need to be informed, when it comes down to it, and the reporting is about themselves, they are protective, being hypocrites. Protective in the sense, of not wanting their secrets, or wrong doings to be publicized, and for the reason that of this "invasion" the journalist is making into their lives uninvitingly, the person in the wrong would do anything to protect their name, or for their secrets to be kept secrets. A dedicated journalist won’t stop just because the person in question wants to keep their crime or wrong doing unspoken, but the journalist would expose it, for the purpose that the public has the right to know if they are being treated unjustly or of dangers around them. Despite the dangers of being a journalist, I believe that this world needs people, which are willing to risk their own lives, for the truth, because it isn’t just truth, it is for integrity of the society. If searched “journalist” on Wikipedia, reporters would be found under the heading and is defined as:

Reporters find the sources for their work, their reports can be either spoken or written, and they are generally expected to report in the most objective and unbiased way to serve the public good.

To serve the public for greater good is the purpose of a journalist especially when reporting because without journalists that are willing to do anything to get to the truth of story, everyone would be oblivious of the world around them, we would not know about the starving in the developing countries or about the war in Iraq. Without journalists we would not know that others are making a difference all around the world, because journalists are doing what needs to be done, citizens of countries all around can help one another out, bringing about peace. Our society would not be informed about anything around the world, or even within their own city or neighborhood without dedicated journalists.