I Wanted to Be A Journalist When I Grew Up

Thank goodness I dodged that bullet.Seriously though, media has become as dirty a word as lawyer or politician these days.  In all honesty I wanted to be an author when I grew up but my ever practical father advised me that I needed a second job to be an author and if writing was my game then I should look at journalism.

Throughout high school my entire life revolved around learning shorthand, studying English, getting work experience with the local paper and radio station so that I could achieve this goal.  Once I had achieved that I was a short jump to an author and I would have it all.

Grumpy Old Man!

Of course it never happened, as so many childhood dreams fail.  But I am glad of this fact.  I sit and watched the news this morning, something I try to avoid doing, and I got so angry at it.  I no longer read papers, watch the news or in any way attempt to catch any sort of update in the world due to the nature of the reporting these days.

When I was focused on becoming a journalist I learnt that it is the role of the reporter to present an unbiased and accurate picture of what was occurring.  It was not the reporters role to offer commentary or pass judgement on any particularly news worthy story that they become involved in.  This morning though I sneered at the TV as the media did what it tries to do all the time.  Make up a story where one should not exist.

Australia is heavily involved in the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines plane.  Strangely enough this costs money to send out search vehicles and people to pilot them.  So the media did this morning what they always do when a story is stalling, try to create controversy.  "It's costing us a million a day!"  "Why should we foot the bill?"  "Malaysia must pay!"

Piss off media.  Pull your head in. Every person in Australia would just love to have this at a resolution.  We would like to help all the people out there find out what has happened to the missing plane.  This is peoples lives.  If their were some cute 18 year old blonde haired, blue eyed surfer girl from Brisbane on that plane this would not even have been an issue.  These stories would never have surfaced.

The media is a money making machine.  It creates news if it has none.  reporters are now largely expected to add their own point of view making it no longer news but opinion.  In the future they will look back to the news agencies and what will they think of us then?

If you want to have an opinion, write a blog or go on a talk show.  If you want to report the news, report what happened.  Not your opinion on what happened.  There is no integrity to being a journalist anymore.  My Aunty, as we walked from the court after hearing the coroners report on my brother said to my mother and I as a woman from the paper came to talk to us "Come on, that scum is a journalist".  That was five or six years ago now but I know now exactly what she meant.

Such is the view from my window today!