Journalism: Sometimes the truth hurts

By: Madeline Cancienne

American author Andrew Vachss once said, “Journalism is what maintains democracy. It’s the force for progressive social change.”

Journalism has been seen throughout history as an easy target when the finger must be pointed, yet it produces efficient change in society. As Vachss said, journalism is what makes people think about issues they may not have known about and it gives people the opportunity to make a change in their community.

Journalists are able to give the people information that may not always be fine and dandy. Sometimes the truth hurts and although it can bring pain for a short time, it can also change the world’s way of thinking.

In the film “Spotlight,” journalists use their platform to release information regarding sexual abuse in the Catholic community. They used this pedestal to release the names of the abusers and share the pain thousands had suffered in secret.

This story of secrecy in the Catholic church allowed exposure to the lies that had been embedded for hundreds of years. This display of journalistic integrity is the ethical standard all journalists should live by. Although access to the information was difficult, the “Spotlight” team was able to access it through persistence and the skills they learned along the way.

Much like the film “Spotlight,” the story of the Nixon Watergate Scandal was portrayed through the media’s journey in “All the President’s Men.”

In this film, it undergoes the process reporters Bernstein and Woodward took to expose the scandal President Nixon was part of. Throughout the film, it shows the complications reporters face when trying to gain information on a sensitive issue, and it shows real tactics that reporters will use to gain information that is seemingly impossible to attain.

“Spotlight” and “All the President’s Men” show how one story can influence the country to make a change. A reporter’s voice may be an easy target, but it is necessary for the people to hear.

Both of these stories are significant in the history of media, and one would think it would create a change in the community’s perspective of the media. However, journalists today are still facing backlash from the community.

Today people think that because they have access to the internet and Facebook, they are qualified to prove their journalistic skills and give the people information they found on Twitter.

There are also people in power like President Trump who state that what the media reports is “fake news.”

This term has grown to mean many things in the last couple of years. In one way, it can mean that individuals do not agree with the given information, but on the other hand, it can mean that the information given is false. But at the end of the day, reporters must always strive to make the most accurate information available to the public.

The job of a reporter is to give the people accurate information, however as new information comes in, it may contradict a previous statement.

The spread of false information, whether it be by Dan the Facebook connoisseur or a poor reporter, has given the media a bad reputation.

The reason the world needs the media is as simple as it was in the beginning with the first newspaper: the people have the right to know the truth. Whether that truth may be hard to hear or not, it can embark a change.

Originally published at https://medium.com on April 29, 2019.