When I first heard the report of the young reporter and her cameraman getting shot in Virginia, I was numb. It brought back memories of months ago, when every day brought a new journalist beheading in the East. It isn’t uncommon to hear about a young reporter getting caught in the wrong part of the world, but to hear about it happening so close to my home shocked me.

I am a bit biased in my emotions towards this certain kind of inhumanity because I am a journalism major. Though many do not consider it especially perilous, I consider journalism a dangerous major.

Journalism is all about telling truthful stories, and sometimes doing that requires exposing areas of the world that do not want to be exposed. Good journalists do whatever they can to bring to light injustice. Therefore, it is natural that animosity forms between the wrongdoers of the world and journalists. They are a natural target for extremists and any individual trying to send a message to the world. Even in their death, they share the truth with an audience.

In the case of Alison Parker and Adam Ward, journalism was not the main reason why they were targeted. A disgruntled employee of their television station claimed that Parker was racist and did not deserve her position. After being fired, he took action in what was seen on air by viewers tuning into that Virginia station. Though journalism itself didn't get Parker and Ward killed, the nature of the job put them in natural danger. The power of being viewed by thousands or millions of people means something.

I first decided to become a journalist in high school, when I discovered a talent for writing. I believed there was no money in actually writing stories, so journalism seemed like a natural extension from that. However, as I began to write my first articles and attended my first journalism classes, I found that journalism is so much more than writing stories. It's about finding the truth in the world and broadcasting that to the world. With journalism, I could talk about whatever I wanted and people could listen, and perhaps make the world a better place with the information I gave them.

Without journalism, people would be unable to learn about the culture, attitude, and environment of the world around them. How could people help someone in need, rally behind a cause, or share the joy of the world without journalism? Without journalism, there is ignorance. And to me, ignorance is far from bliss.