“The media hides everything from us,” “the media tells us too much bad news,” “the media doesn’t show enough of the good in the world,” “the media lies to us.”
It’s everywhere. You can’t escape it. We live in a world where our phone is glued to our hand and our eyes are glued to our phone. Breaking News flashes across our screens faster than a bullet, and we hear a new shooting, attack or rape every day.
As a student who studies journalism, (or I’ll call myself a journalist, because my professor always told me that I should consider myself one) it’s frustrating to see the conflict. I used to be that person that cringed at the news because I was sick of seeing so much negativity in the world.
But, I was always drawn to the news. I liked the way they spoke and delivered events in a way that was informative and not biased (well, used to be). Every day at 5, I learned something new about the world around me. Even if most of those things were bad, I knew I wanted to be like one of the reporters someday.
I knew I wanted to be a journalist ever since I was a kid, and I’m now in college chasing my dream. It’s fantastic to me, to be able to write and study journalism. I have taken classes studying many different aspects of journalism, and there is a common theme in each and every class—a journalist’s job is to tell the truth.
No matter the situation, circumstances or problem, a journalist must find and deliver the truth to the world. And more often than not, the truth isn’t positive.
To say it as simply as I can, the truth is that there is a lot of bad stuff happening in the world. As a journalist, that’s my job. It’s my job to tell you what’s happening. I’m supposed to tell you about the latest shooting. I’m supposed to tell you about a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. I’m supposed to tell you about a Stanford “All-American competitive swimmer” rapist. Don’t you want to be informed?
Don’t be ignorant to the world. Don’t ignore what is happening because you “want to hear more happy things in the news.” I’m sorry but I think we should all have an idea of the negativity in the world so that we can possibly make a change.
When “the media” makes a story viral to “hide something” it’s because people care about it more. Let me explain. I do not give a damn about Kim Kardashian. What I do give a damn about is female oppression in Egypt. You know who gives a damn about the Kardashians? The people. People are reading more about them than Syrian immigrants seeking refuge. There are news stories and essays on the important issues—people are just clicking on the celebrity and puppy links instead. (I’ll be honest, I read the puppy ones too.)
There is good in the world, and I do believe that the media should let the public know about this information. Good news is important too, don’t get me wrong. But quite frankly, I want to know more about the robbery in my area so I can take precautions and simply be aware.
Why do we study History? So it doesn’t repeat.
We should go about news the same way. When we see another headline about gun violence, shouldn’t that mean we change something? As a journalist, I deliver the truth, not only seeking change, but seeking knowledge. I want to know what is happening. Good or bad, I want to know what the hell is happening. I don’t want to be blind to the problems because I want more happiness on my local news station.
I want happiness more than anyone. I want peace in the world. But to get there, we need to take the media seriously. We are giving you the truth. And if you can’t find it in your Twitter feed, go searching for it. Go find the truth that we journalists are trying to give to you.
