Journalism on the Defensive

The idea of journalism has always revolved around investigative, unbiased, loyal reporting to a cause that the individual truly feels a connection to. The practice of journalism has been a significant presence in America to give the most accurate and worthwhile coverage, rallying to the spirit of Americans after major disasters or events. After 9/11, an especially traumatic event for Americans on that fateful September morning, watching a landmark blow up on public television, journalists once again united under a national voice begging for answers. However, as Jeffrey Dvorkin, the Executive Director of the Committee of Concerned Journalists, or the CCJ, points out, journalism is not just about getting answers, but serving as a channel to all viewers to the clear and honest truth. It is about asking tough questions but also about deepening that "sense of obligation and responsibility first, to the listeners, readers and viewers that it serves." Journalism is an eye-opening experience, especially for those who are currently covering in Iraq, witnessing the horror and the atrocities soldiers must endure each day, but it should by no means be driven by opinion, or serve as a source for journalists to voice information that is not backed up by factual evidence or proof. With a topic as sensistive as the war in Iraq, their commitment to citizens should be the driving factor in their reports, not their own curiosity or their wish to make the right kind of headlines. And, perhaps most importantly, embedded journalists in Iraq should avoid feeding the flames of fear, gullibility, and anger that so often permeates the air these days. Journalism should be an honest business, with a penchant for curiosity and those stories that only journalists physically being in Iraq can provide. It should not be a business where journalists cash in on the best stories depicting the biased American view of the atrocities committed against American soldiers but both the Iraqi and the American side. During a time when our basic institutions are threatened and the United States is still recovering from a terrorist attack that crumpled our hope but nonetheless, strengthened us as a nation, it is critical to have journalists embedded in Iraq that can provide accurate, independent information. Is there a possibility that the public distrusts American journalism? Yes. There will always be a small suspicion that news stations aren't serving the public as much as their own interests but there is still a chance to regain this trust and restore complete and utter faith in the public. As Jeffrey Dvorkin states, "We need to remind ourselves and our audiences that journalism is not stenography. We need to tell our audiences that our goal is to serve them as citizens first and as consumers of information second. We need to find a way to make sure that we are part of a successful business model, but not at the cost of our credibility. We need to tell our audiences how we know what we know, who are our sources and how we came to report on a given story."