The Burden of Journalists

This entry is designed to be a virtual hug to all members of the media. I begin by acknowledging that we all have days where we feel like no matter what we do, we are going to make the wrong choice. And then there are days that no matter how we strive to do our jobs, we realize we are going to fall short in the eyes of others. Such as the reality of journalists. Their burden is not all that dissimilar from many elected officials as rarely do those folks have days in which they enjoy unanimous high-fives from their constituents either. In the case of members of the Fourth Estate, however, their dilemma is more striking. 


The conventional wisdom regarding reporters is that they are expected to be objective in what they write and/or broadcast. Their news reports are supposed to be dispassionate accounts of an event or decision by some entity such as the government. Fine. But at the same time, it is not unusual for these professional communicators to be criticized for doing that. People call them glorified stenographers when all they do is recount something that has happened or simply reiterate what an official, such as the President, has said. The public wants reporters to provide analysis of events, policy decisions, etc. Fine. But the moment a journalist attempts to do that, they are often criticized for being biased or having their own agenda. How unfair is all this?


Generally, the public seems to want more from reporters, yet it is not clear what that "more" is. Perhaps the ultimate cross that reporters bear is that their work is never going to be universally embraced. The fact what they do is very much in the public eye makes their work all the more subject to being criticized and second-guessed. This reality, however, does not make what they do any less important. It is and always will be vital to a free and open society. Too bad, then, that the rest of us, including the government, do not always give them the support they deserve.