“What will you people do?” These were the words of a widow who had seen countless journalists come and go, only for her situation to remain the same. What exactly is a journalist supposed to do in the face of such overwhelming poverty and injustice? Where does one draw the line between becoming a voyeur and a sympathetic listener? The other choice is to remain cynical and dismiss the whole thing as the work of fate. Of course some budding journalists are swept away and run from pillar to post trying to get justice; all in vain.
One of the unwritten rules of journalism is to keep oneself in the background. One should never get involved in one’s subject. A journalist is there for a job and after one's job is done, one has to withdraw. To have a clear perception one has to distance oneself from the situation at hand. No journalist worth his salt would let biases creep into his report. But when faced with such stark reality one has no choice but to get involved. At this point it is no longer a question of one’s profession but one’s humanity.
Journalists are better suited for this task because they are aware. They can see beyond the superficial reality presented to the world. Their experience and knowledge tell them that there is another world out there that only they can see. That is one of the great advantages of this profession. To borrow a line from Spiderman: With great power comes great responsibility. A journalist might even call himself a prophet because he shows the world what it cannot see or rather what it chooses not to see.
A journalist’s greatest weapon is his pen. His stories are capable of influencing multitudes of people. A lawyer deals with a single individual at any given moment. He can deliver justice for that single person. A journalist on the other hand deals with many people in a single story. The story is built upon the lives of many people.
Additionally, the policy makers are more likely to listen to the voice of journalists rather than other people.
But then the question lingers: How does one go about this overwhelming task? How can one make a difference? It does not mean that the journalist should leave everything that one does and head for the rural areas hoping to change the world at the first instance. Then he becomes an activist, which is another role altogether. Only people who can afford to forsake everything can do this. There is no turning back on this idea. But there are also other ways to make a difference. As Milton said in ‘On his blindness’: They also serve who only stand and waite.
The first step is awareness. The people who live in their ivory towers have no idea how the rest of humanity lives. It is not true that they do not want to know. They cannot know because no one tells them. Ultimately, the power lies with the people. So the people should be made to understand that for every comfort that they seek there is somebody who goes without the basic necessities of life.
And this is what the journalist can do.
- James Hardy