As a college journalist and the soon-to-be editor-in-chief of The Johnsonian during its centennial year, one question has often entered my mind: when is journalism enough?
As journalists, we are trained to report on every type of event. We have to cover college theater department plays, student life, and heavier topics concerning Title IX issues and traumatic events. We are trained to do so with a keen attention to accuracy and to be as unbiased as possible.
As I not only report but also take in what is happening in our daily lives, I find myself asking: when is it enough? Day after day, I am stunned at the tragic events that our world is facing whether it be the continued invasion of Ukraine, another mass shooting, attacks on a variety of minority groups, or protests turned deadly. I — as many journalists — are faced with the difficult issue of reporting about these events. The main struggle is about how to report on these tragedies without inserting any personal feelings or bias.
How do I refrain from putting my own feelings about catastrophic events? How do I act as a voice for the voiceless while silencing my own? How do I portray a story accurately and fairly, while still avoiding even a hint of bias?
This is a difficult yet daily conundrum that most journalists find themselves in. It is exceptionally hard to watch tragedies occur day after day but still having to keep your personal opinion out of your articles.
But as I continue with my work in the field of journalism, I find myself asking one question. When is it enough?
There is no question that our country is deeply divided. While the roots of partisan division run deep — almost back to the founding of our country — it has only become more exacerbated in recent years. But, when do we, as a nation, finally say enough is enough?
When do we begin to heal the division? When do we stop with the hateful attacks? When do we universally condemn any form of hate or discrimination, regardless of political philsophy or affiliation?
In my opinion, the media can play a large role in beginning to heal the great divide that is found in the United States. It is time to stop giving a platform to hateful rhetoric that will only further fan the flames of division. While it is our duty to report accurately on what is said, we do not need to give a larger platform to those spewing divisive rhetoric.
Let us begin to heal the division in our country. Let us have faith once again that some media divisions will begin to portray events accurately instead of spewing a variety of conspiracy theories that have no foundation of truth to them.
I look to previous generations of journalistic legends on how to conduct myself as a future journalist. The greats such as Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, Judy Woodruff, Woodward and Bernstein, and Edward Murrow were some of the most trusted journalists of their age. They presented information succinctly and without a hint of bias, allowing readers and viewers to form their own opinions.
And that is what we as journalists are what are called to do. We are meant to present facts and provide a voice to the voiceless. We are supposed to allow the public to form their own opinions on issues, not insert our own opinion. It is our duty to inform, not to persuade.
We only increase public division by feeding our own opinions into stories that do not require them. Being unbiased is an important qualification to be a respected journalist and it is one that is sorely needed now.
It is time to say enough is enough. It is time to say enough with the hate. It is now time to begin to heal the partisan divide found in our country. It is time to stand up, unified, to end the attacks on minority groups. It is time.
