…writers are right.
Let’s briefly understand the word Journalism; it can be aptly defined as, assembling, assessing and disseminating information. In the right scheme of journalism practise, it should be educative, informative, reformative and entertaining. These are the fundamentals of journalism. More succinctly, a journalist is the eye and ear of any society.
Journalism first and foremost is a call for responsibility to ensuring that a common man is comprehensively sensitized on the activities of the Government, with the propensity to bridge the gap between the leaders and the followers, their rights and responsibilities.
Being a Journalist, avails me the platform on which to lend my voice in our day to day living/activities. And most importantly, in a society increasingly growing noisy and where virtually everyone wants to be heard, professional journalism if properly maximized will get my voice above the noise.
Keeping in mind that Journalism practise is a responsibility and the profession a platform, it is important that my objective be properly defined, while having a resonant effect on the society and the world at large.
Like I mentioned earlier, Journalism is about gathering and informing, thus:
1). It is important to disseminate the right information, that will minimally abate any form of dissonance, Cultural, religious, racial etc.
2). If I cannot stem the gnawing tide of poverty especially in the sub-Saharan countries, i could at least draw the attention of the entire globe to the areas where children are dying in their numbers from malnutrition related diseases. Maybe, just maybe some intervention could come through, individually or collectively.
3). Information is power, right? Some of the societal ills can be curbed, if the media get back to the grassroots. Framing theory stipulates that the society see through the eye of the Media. In that case, we could begin to work on the subliminal first, for instance, people should begin to appreciate the true virtue in charity in whatever capacity and a bit of tolerance for one another. It may not be a radical change, but it makes sense that we at least try, with time people will begin to be more receptive to it.
4). Life is intense already but it usually never gets any worse. Lately, I’ve come to appreciate myself as a writer, more than ever before. And that’s largely because I realised that i am equipped with the power of the pen. Permit me say to sound cliché, the pen is powerful. Simply put, it takes it up from where the voice stops. Perhaps, the reason writing is one of the components of journalism.
Last but not least, we need to begin to unlearn some of the nonsense we learnt and begin to relearn what we should. Only journalism has the unequivocal right through the media, to work on the basic societal subliminal, that could either bring about some positive change or thrust us further to decadence.
NOTE; The importance of personal and career advancement cannot be over emphasized.
Technological advancement is literally sprinting, it can’t be wished away. We will be doing ourselves great disservice to turn blind eyes to that reality.
