A Journalistic State of Mind

Today I turned in my journalism final.  An essay, about how much I like journalism and why.  As I’ve written about in a couple other posts, I really enjoyed that class.  It was a new field I didn’t have very much experience in, and for an elective requirement was a great class to pick.  So here is why I like journalism.  Here is why I continue to blog.

A New Future?

I have never in my 19 years of life ever thought of becoming a journalist.  Lawyer, sure; doctor, sure; even astronomer at one point.  And then there was – of course – the ballerina, actress, and Olympian.  But for the last six or seven years, I have had my mind set on becoming a geneticist.  I enjoy writing – don’t get me wrong.  I have a blog and love to write opinionated pieces about anything and everything, but journalism as a possible profession has just never even crossed my mind… until this class.  Journalism as a whole is so much more than just writing.  Even disregarding broadcast, radio, and internet media, and just focusing on the medium of print journalism, multiple aspects of the profession (besides writing) come into play.  This class has opened my mind to the complexity and diversity of journalism and has sparked an interest that I will likely carry with me for the rest of my life.

Journalism is not simply writing; it is not simply reporting; it is not, in fact, simple.  A journalist must keep in mind public opinion, politics, democracy, ethics, bias, and objectivity.  Other issues such as freedom of the press, globalization and a changing media also come into play as well as the business aspects of deciding what is news versus advertising versus public relations.  Add to these complex issues the changing consumer demands for new media, and today’s journalist has new challenges to make his or her work marketable in the competitive, capitalist American system.  So why do so many people pursue a career in this field?

This class answered that question for me.  Good journalism brings its purveyor a sense of fulfillment, a sense of pleasure, a sense of competition, and a sense of making a difference in society.  What better than to be the first to the scene, the first to catch a breaking news story, and most importantly, the one on whom the public relies to get the truth out there?  With this opportunity also comes great responsibility.  The journalist is the liaison between the world and the public.  What the journalist reports, people read with the mindset that it conveys truth.  It is monumental for journalists all across the world to maintain that truth and uphold the very foundation of journalism as a profession.  Freedom of the press is based on this concept.  The truth can be printed and it must be printed without fear of repercussions.  It is the journalist’s job to search, find, and report the truth.

I took this class to fulfill and arts and humanities requirement.  Never did I think that it would pose a change to my whole career outlook.  While my heart is still set on biology, a new state of mind has been created: a journalistic state of mind.  I have found the need to dig deeper to ensure the truth is found, the necessity to check twice for objectivity, and the consciousness to view the world with a critical eye.  Biology is an expanding field, continuously crossing new bounds.  As research develops, controversial issues are brought to the forefront such as stem cell research and genetic manipulation and those controversial issues must be explained.  While I may never work for a newspaper, magazine, or television broadcast company, I pledge to continue to write – to the best of my ability – the truth, and always look for the bigger picture, the multiple perspectives that shape it, and most importantly, to help others understand.