Three years ago, I decided that I wanted to enter the world of news. Little did I know that news in general meant a different style of writing, editing until you can't read the computer screen anymore and a lot of unwanted criticism from place you didn't expect.
In journalism, unless you are an opinion writer, you can't have any emotion for what you write about. It has to be straight facts and details that the audience you are writing to needs to know. I hated it. I hated my teachers for basically sucking the life out of me. I put my heart and soul into everything that I do and not being able to put 130 percent of 'me' into my stories was bloody awful. You might be thinking to yourself, "Then what made you want to be a journalist?"
Two days ago, a man and a woman were shot.
It was caught on camera by the man that was shot.
As the camera is still rolling you can see that the angle/view on the camera swivels to the left and falls down to the floor. In the background of the video, you can hear two women screaming and starting to cry, but then one of the screams are suddenly, and without precedent, cut off. The screen fades to black and cuts back to the anchor who sits her news desk with her mouth open wide because of what she just saw. She has to think of something to say to the onlooking viewers who just witnessed two people dying on camera and all that she can say is, "Okay, not sure what [just] happened there, we will of course let you know as soon as we find out what those sounds were." After that the clip ends.
These two people were journalists. A reporter and her camera man.
As I sit here and write this article, I have decided to put all the emotion I can into it. Two people were shot and killed on live television and for me, a journalist, it is hard to just sit by and let people think that the being a journalist is just digging into everyone else's business. I'm sick and tired of hearing people's sad and pitiful replies to the facts that I am essentially a journalist.
Let me make this perfectly clear. Just because I have chosen to be in a field where I might not make the highest paying dollar or it might not be the most reliable, doesn't mean that it isn't important. I am going to love my job because I believe that if you do love your job you will never work a day in your life. I have gotten stares and general somewhat disapproving remarks from people because of what my major is. I'm a multimedia journalism major with a minor in art. I love it and am excited to work in this field. The news and the outlets that people get their news from is important and it's sad that many people see this field and many others as a bad source of income.
I have always had a love for what went on behind the camera. This summer I had the wonderful pleasure of doing my internship at WTVY News 4 in Dothan, Alabama. I got to meet the producers, anchors and reporters of the shows and it was a wonderful experience that I will never forget. During this internship, I got to focus on production. I want to travel and work mainly with documentaries. *cough, cough* National Geographic or there about. *cough, cough*
I love knowing about the ins and outs of a television shows and how it works. To be able to see how the news is produced and ran, thrilled me and it is my calling in life right now. So when I heard about the reporter and the photographer getting shot, it got to me. I didn't cry, but it hit me in a way that made me feel like the job I am preparing myself for is a lot more dangerous than what people want to give me credit for.
And this isn't just something that has happened recently. Lots of reporters and journalists are captured or killed for being in other countries reporting the news, asking the "wrong" questions, or being "too nosey." This man and women were killed for simply working at the same company that the killer did.
You might be thinking by this point, that this article seems all about me. On the surface it is. If you dig a little deeper, its about every single person who has every had a major where someone else put them down for it. This includes Graphic Design, Art, English, Music and many other majors that mostly get blank stares when asked about. Our majors and our callings are important and what we do is important. Society will tell us to chase a dream for the sole purpose of lining our pockets each day and for what? So I can buy another car that I don't need?
So. I conclude this rather long rant.
I applaud you; you, who reads this. You, who has decided to be that dance major, or theater major because you want to do something that you love. Whatever you do, love it no matter what people will tell you!
Show these journalists that they didn't die in vain, but that they died doing what they loved.
Take the free will that you have and do what you love. Whether you are making enough money or not. It's your decision and let nothing and no one hold you back.
