Last week I was out for ice cream and wearing a shirt with my school's logo. An older woman asked me what my major was and I politely gave my usual answer, "double major in broadcasting and journalism." Then, very rudely, she replied "Oh sweetie. You should get a different job. Don't be a journalist." After that I walked away without saying another word (if I did say something it would not have been kind). I desperately wanted to fightback but figured the debate was too heavy for a Sunday night ice cream run. But here's what I would have said.
Why would I not want to be a journalist? First of all, my career is 100% my choice. I didn't ask for your opinion.
Second of all, I bet that you yourself consume media. Journalism encompasses print, broadcast, radio and television news. Journalism is an integral part of our society. Ma'am, every time you shared an article on Facebook, you supported journalists. Every night when you turn on the 11 o' clock news or when you turn on a radio to listen to the news, you support journalists. You can't tell me not to be a journalist when you yourself support them and rely on their work.
To tell me not to be a journalist is to say that journalism doesn't matter when it in fact does. In today's modern age journalists have to work harder now than ever. We have to produce accurate and updated content as soon as information is available; not only do we have to worry about being timely for print content but we also have to distribute it on social media and the internet.
We also have to do all of this under the consistent pressure of the public. Now, while journalists have always had to worry about this, thanks to the current administration, we are under even more scrutiny. Accusations of "fake news" are frequent and the entirety of Trump's administration attack the media on an almost daily basis. Serving the public gets pretty difficult when the public doesn't want to hear you and thinks they know better. Don't forget that journalists died just a month ago after a gunman stormed in with the intention of killing everyone simply because he had a vendetta against the newspaper. So now not only do we have to do a job that is already difficult, but now we go in with the fear of being killed at work.
Journalists have always been both a mirror and a lamp to the public. We probe, we investigate, we discover, and every day we wake up to do a job that is a service to the public. It's what I love to do, it's what I want to do, and it's my career. Don't tell me I won't get a job, because I know that I am smart and capable enough to become a successful journalist. So, please don't tell me not to be a journalist. It's up to me.
