Journalism and its importance in the world
Journalism is the key to democracy, though it may be interesting or even entertaining, the foremost value of news is a utility to empower the informed. By exercising the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, journalists perform the crucial role of shedding light on events happening in the world.
Writing newspaper articles, magazines, blogs, etc. are all important freedom of speech avenues. All of these platforms provide current and relevant information and news to the public. Documenting stories that the public should be informed about is one of the most important roles in the world for mass media. Journalism helps people live their lives and make decisions based on the information society brings about. Without journalists the world would be uninformed. Journalism is key to providing citizens with the information they need.
Journalists do their best to depict the truth and allow the people to see what is going on behind closed doors. It is very important to distribute facts to the people and let them create their own opinions on topics.
The rich and powerful have an advantage over the world and sometimes even the press, but good journalists will always stay true to the facts and not be swayed due to bribes, threats, etc. Honest journalism puts the rich in place when light is shed onto their sometimes wrongdoings. They have the power to take advantage of the system and have for so long.
“Fake news” is a term being thrown around in the press today, trying to distract and discredit the evidence held against the powerful people in society. Fake news can be a real issue and journalists have to find the fine line between real versus fake news. To do this is one of the most crucial jobs, and requires a lot of research.
In “The Panama Papers,” the media reported what the wealthy were doing to take advantage of and cheat the system by moving their millions into offshore accounts, avoiding taxes. It was the job of the journalists working on the story to reveal this illegal activity to bring a consequence to the wealthy committing this crime. If journalists did not do so, many more powerful and rich people would be getting away with this still.
In the movie “Spotlight” the media produced information on a huge conspiracy theory about the Catholic Church and molestation going on inside of it. Which turned out to be true. This traumatic case turned out to be affecting many young lives in Boston. The journalists did hundreds of hours of research to get hard evidence and testimonials. They had to wait for the right time to publish it and make sure all discrepancies were found so the public could take it seriously. Overall the truth came out thanks to the journalists working on this case.
These are just a few examples of why journalism is extremely important. It brings awareness into the world. Journalists bring information out into the world for the greater good of the people. It may be hard and cause debates or worse…but it must be done!
Reporters deserve respect, support and safety from citizens to keep being able to do their job with honesty and integrity. We are blessed to live in a country where the freedom of speech is so important to our freedom and rights.