Importance & Integrity of Journalism
‘The written word’ and ‘the scribe wielding a pen ‘have for long been symbols of the power that knowledge beholds. No wonder that the Media was accorded the status of the fourth pillar of democracy. It cannot be contested that it is through this medium that revolutions, changes and progress in society were brought about all over the world. Worthy leaders found it an important tool to educate and mould the public opinion. The journalist fraternity, on its part, proudly wore the badge of integrity and diligently strove to present the unadulterated truth.
Does it seem to be a reference from a bygone era? It’s difficult to find that brand any more. The current era journalism bows unabashedly to the mammon god. One can only conjecture that in this ‘only comparatively honest’ world, the light is dying out in the realm of journalism with integrity. The social media explosion and the whole cheap publicity industry it has spawned is to be partially blamed for this slide in ethics in journalism. With stress on delivering faster news, and the news that sells, due diligence which was so much a part of journalistic ethos has now taken a beating. Add to it, the churning of sensational news, advertising in the garb of news and the bane of it all, the fake news - the bouquet is not fragrant any more. One can only ponder whether it was the materialism of the general society that led to the current slide of journalism or it was the loss of integrity of journalism that carved out the prevalent ‘unbothered about truth ‘society. Either way, the loss has been ours. Of the people who hope to live in a civilized world.
Is there a way to fix this damaged machinery? There has to be. In fact, for the smooth running and progress of a vibrant world community, it's a must. The news agencies should stop taking funding from big cooperations and instead be crowdfunded, to eliminate harmful influence from media. Setting up of unbiased news agencies with a pool of contributors ready to stick to high standards of reporting and opinion sharing can be a starting point. It can be replicated at all levels globally. In every journey there’s a turning point.... whence on the destination seems within reach. This could be one for journalism.