A journalist is someone who can function as something of a “hierarchy of one.” Whether driven by self-confidence, or, more likely, curiosity and a strong sense of justice, a journalist can walk across the crowded room to go and talk to someone. A journalist can does make friends with all sorts of people, getting as much enjoyment from a conversation with an interesting veteran forty years her senior as from her peers. The journalistic curiosity, thirst for knowledge, and desire to understand the society in which she lives is often the first priority.
Journalists are often given to introspection, wondering what people really mean when they say or do certain things. They often pause, looking on and wondering about the relationships between people, wondering what their motivations really are. They like to ask questions and find out how things work. Often, like lawyers, perhaps, they ask questions even when they know the answer, simply wanting to see a given person will explain his or herself. The journalist might then continue to ponder the question to see if it has more sides, more complex issues at stake than might be originally supposed. For this reason, a journalist is typically a creature of parody: fiercely independent with a strong love of people and conversation.
That said, a journalist is not a philosopher. He or she is not likely to mull an issue over forever. Ideas have to be published and shared. Problems must be solved using this acquisition of contacts, knowledge, and understanding. On top of that, the journalist generally has a strong sense of duty, perhaps for justice, the betterment of society, or simply compassion for humanity. The “muckraker” journalists at the turn of the century are perhaps the best examples of the belief that, if the facts could simply be advertised to those with good hearts and strong influence, the “truth will set them free.”
How then, must this be published? The idea that writing is the medium of choice among journalists is precluded by ancient (town criers, perhaps) and modern (the evening news, photojournalism) examples. However, many are drawn to the profession by their love the written word. Many writers become journalists, and like it, too. Most journalism is, at some point in its creation, expressed at least in part through the written word. Writing and rhetoric has been and will continue to be a mainstay in the world of journalism.
However, a definition of journalism must go beyond these broad characteristics if it is to survive in the modern world. Journalism must be organized in two different ways. First, there is a fundamental code of ethics. Better writers than I have put forth countless efforts to define these, but the fact that they exist is supremely important. As explained by its presence in the Bill of Rights, journalism exists as a safeguard for democracy. The journalist aspires to bring to the attention of the great and powerful the needs of those who have no voice. Conversely, the journalist must report the doings of the former to the educated masses if democracy is to be safeguarded. Secondly, journalism is professional. Once again, this is a broad term, especially when it has to include such charming additions to the profession as “ambulance chasers” and the like. However, the term is a necessary requirement.
Whatever his or her chosen medium, a journalist is a man, or woman, on a mission. It is a vocation which many select for the nobility that they find in it. It is a vocation which, rightly practiced, acts in the preservation of true freedom.
