I didn't even mention the possibility that journalists could die because of the articles they write.
In this article by Columbia Journalism Review, the editors of CJR discuss the state of journalism in Mexico, which has had twenty-two journalists killed since 2000, some of them directly because of what they had exposed.
The article was inspired by the speech that Alejandro Junco de la Vega, president of Grupo Reforma, which publishes seven daily papers in Mexico, gave. He said that,
"We find ourselves under the siege of drug lords, criminals; and the more we expose their activities, the harder they push back.
Life is cheap. They push hard."I have a vested interest in Mexican journalism because I wanted to be a part of it. My dad's side of the family is from Mexico, and I love the language and th people. I want to be a part of the muckraking that is going on, especially since Mexico is mired in corruption.
But how can journalists publish the truth and expose corruption and serve its citizens if they are constantly fearing for their own lives? How can journalists do their job when all that leads to is more death, more fear, and more crime? And how can situations like the one in Mexico, and other nations like it, be remedied?
3 comments:
Unfortunately, I think that sometimes things need to get worse before they get better. I think that journalists have a responsibility to expose the truth, especially in the face of corruption, crime, and distress. If there are repercussions as a result of the truth, it may be necessary. Some revolutions aren't bloodless and some justice is long in coming. I honestly believe, however, that justice does come. It's like saying you shouldn't police the streets because that doesn't do anything or makes things worse. Yes, that may be true, but should a good cause be abandoned because of it's hopelessness? I don't think so. Whether it's lawlessness or government that oppresses, journalists have a responsibility to the citizenry to inform and expose. It's certainly a high ideal, but it's one, I think, worth fighting for.
We had such an interesting class discussion on this and I'm glad you posted...though this may have come before the class.
Plato wrote about Socrates' death in the "Apology" saying that if a man's life is worth anything then he will always be calculating his risk of losing it.
I don't believe that's always true, but in the case of journalism, I believe it is very true.
However, I will stand by what I said in class which is this: I am willing to risk my own life for the sake of Truth, but I have no jurisdiction over the lives of others. It's not my place to endanger people in order to fulfill what I believe is important.
Journalism is what you make it...you can play it safe or live totally dangerously, and a lot of it has to do with the decision as to whether to stay in the states or venture out into the world. I think Danny's right, that it will get worse before it gets better. When you recall the big events that go down in history, most of the noteworthy triumphs happen after many innocent people die for the cause. It's a little weird to think of journalists dying a martyrs death, but we're hearing about it more and more.
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