The importance of journalism today
One thing that is always tossed around is the First Amendment. It is used to justify expressing opinions and, in extreme cases, hate speech. Covering their hate with “it’s my right to free speech” is something that everyone has seen, and even more so recently.
What individuals fail to remember is that the First Amendment isn’t just about free speech. There is so much more to it, including the free press, right to assembly and freedom of religion.
One of the main components that is often overshadowed within this amendment is the right to free press. It is often taken for granted in this society because the American people have never been without it. They have never experienced what it would be like to live in a country where their press was feeding them one sided information.
In an Article written by A.G. Sulzberger for the New York Times, he talks about how journalists from America risk their lives to report on news that, otherwise, wouldn’t be known about. In countries without free press, American reporters take it upon themselves to get the information out to anyone who has access to it, even with the risks they are facing.
There are countless reporters who have stories of being detained at airports, threatened by governments or citizens and even journalists winding up injured or dead because of their bravery and need to inform the world.
Due to the American people having a plethora of news sources and stories to read or watch, they have gotten spoiled. They take any news that goes against what they want to hear and group it as “fake news” or make conspiracies as to why it was wrong.
By doing this, the American people have belittled the field of journalism as well as insulted all journalists who actively try to inform the public.
It has been shown that investigative journalism has had a huge influence in society. Films such as “Spotlight” and documentaries like “The Panama Papers” show how rigorous these reporters work on stories that can impact the world.
They spend weeks, months and even years getting a huge story together that will shake the world as we know it. “The Panama Papers” ignited fire in multiple countries that made the accused leaders resign from their positions. The actual team that is portrayed in “Spotlight” exposed a ring of Catholic priests as pedophiles and how they were still able to be in power, which allowed new victims to come forwards and tell their own stories.
They strategically investigate, plan and ask the hard questions so the citizens don’t have to. They expose pedophilia within a whole church system, confirm tax evasion when it comes to political leaders and still, somehow, are looked down upon.
It is about time that reporters and journalists and everyone who chooses to tell the truth, even in the face of danger and backlash, get the recognition they deserve. They should be taken seriously and be more appreciated in this country, rather than spat on and turned away.
The American people should, instead, thank the First Amendment for giving them the freedom to be able to read freely about happenings within and outside of the country. They should thank the people who make it possible to form their own opinions rather than being forced to think one way and be persecuted if they didn’t.
It is a time to be appreciative of the freedoms we were given and stop taking what we have for granted.
