Of truths, lies and the ideal journalist

Today, and in years gone by, that information disseminator is known as the journalist and what he practices is known as journalism.The Longman Dictionary of contemporary English defines journalism as “the job or activity of writing news reports for newspapers, magazines, television or radio.” It adds that “journalism examines an event or situation in order […]

Today, and in years gone by, that information disseminator is known as the journalist and what he practices is known as journalism.
The Longman Dictionary of contemporary English defines journalism as “the job or activity of writing news reports for newspapers, magazines, television or radio.” It adds that “journalism examines an event or situation in order to find out the truth.”
Establishing truths and facts, while clearing misconception, doubts and lies is one of the major functions of a journalist. A journalist must therefore be honest, mature, knowledgeable, prudent, faithful among other virtues.
According to Sambe of the Department of Mass Communication, Benue State University Makurdi, “Journalism is a report of things as they appear at the moment of writing… The journalist deals in immediacy; he enjoys being close to events and the knowledge that his efforts can help shape the future. He is communicating the development of the day to an audience whose lives are affected by the events he discusses.” Sambe also states that “Historically, the journalist has been identified by society as carrying out two main functions: one is reporting the news, and the other is offering interpretation and opinion based on the news.
In carrying out both of the above mentioned functions of the journalist, he need to gather certain skills and attributes. One of the major skills required of a journalist is the language skills. A journalist must be able to read, write, listen and speak a particular or several languages, particularly the language which he uses to communicate to his audience.
He must have good command of the language, the literary techniques of the language, the norms and culture of its speakers et cetera. The journalist must know how to find tune his use of the language, using the right anecdotes, brevity, coherence and clarity.
The journalist should also be law abiding and conversant with the constitution, rules and regulations of the country in which he is carrying out his duties. The journalist has to well versed with government policies and day to day activities of the state. This aspect goes hand in hand with the history of the state, its people and environment.
The journalist has to be a stickler for time, bold, daring, courageous and very keen in determining the authenticity of information and documents. As a principle, when the journalist is in doubt he finds out, if still in doubt he finds out more and finally if still in doubt, he leaves out.
There is a saying that you cannot be a good journalist without having public interest at heart. Journalism requires quick decision and awareness that the words which the journalist writes and speaks may influence the lives of millions of people, as such, journalists are not only recording history, they are helping shape it, and as such a huge amount of responsibility and maturity is required of the journalist.
Example of how journalists helped in ensuring sustainable democracy and chasing away military dictatorship, bringing public officers to book are numerous in countries such as ours, that is Nigeria.
Social skills, good sense of news and news values, punctuality, ability to travel and move about with ease and taking bold and daring risks are all some of the qualities of a good journalist. Several journalists have lost their lives in the pursuance of truth that could liberate people from subjugation.
Having patience, perseverance and valuable experiences, are some of the things which qualify a good journalist. The story has been told of a certain journalist, who went to gather vital information from a prominent citizen. The prominent person sent out dogs to chase away the journalist. As the dogs barked, the journalist barked louder at them. This went on for some time until the prominent man was so impressed with the journalist’s courage and persistence that he called off the dogs and invited the journalist for a chat, and that was how the journalist go his information.
There are many stories and instance that depict the noble act of practicing journalism. Sadly however stories abound of how journalists throw away the ethics of the noble procession in exchange for money and other tempting ‘goodies’
Ignorant, greedy, unpatriotic, sycophantic and vengeful journalists have reported lies and malicious reports, covered up corruption, blackmailed people and refused to publish truth and facts due to the destructive attributes which they have acquired.
The law enforcement agencies, politicians, clergy and everyone of us have a role to play in checking the excesses of unscrupulous journalists. However, the reform must begin from within journalists themselves. Journalists who have no regard for the noble profession should stay away. The proprietors and owners of media houses should also make sure that they operate according to the ethics of the profession.
On a final note, let us remember those journalists alive and dead who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of mankind, those journalists who have public interest at heart. Let us celebrate them and document them for generation to come.
Bashar wrote in from Tudun Wada, Kaduna.