I will start this by saying I would have happily let a ship of fools be, but when the imitators began to appear on my shores I could stay silent no more.
Yes, it's an established fact by now that Donald Trump and his war with the media (or, perhaps more accurately, a war with facts) has reached comical levels. But he and his MAGA brigade of followers have made life for media members less than ideal. That attitude has carried over into politics around the world, sadly counting Canada as one caught up in the influence of the #fakenews hordes.
But before I allow myself to wander off topic, this is not a diatribe against Trump and his assault on the Fifth Estate, nor is it what is fomenting in other places in the world. This is, plain and simple, a plea.
Being a journalist or reporter used to be considered an honourable and respected position. While I did not grow up in an era where reporters were iconic (but I do know a few who do qualify for this distinction), I know that people respected those who informed them of the daily events. They weren't derided or scorned for something that was deemed unpopular or unjust, because for the most part it was fairly and accurately reported.
But with the dawn of a new news age came the challenge of being first, then being the one to tell the story loudest to gain the most attention. I'm not wearing rose-coloured glasses here; I know media has always taken sides on the political spectrum. But the voices that have stood the test of time have told us what we needed to hear when we needed to hear it in an unvarnished way. Sometimes that news hurt and we would cry. Other times, it was so joyous we would cry.
The one thing I have always believed is this: news is a collection of facts presented to the public for their informed consideration. News helps inform us, allowing us to form an opinion for ourselves and therefore news is not opinion itself. Facts do not lean left or right. Facts are not fake. They are proven and substantiated, and when they are reported they are relayed to us in an unbiased manner.
At least, they should be. Reporters of any level need to remind themselves that they are not part of the story but only a conduit of information. But the public needs to know their role is not as passive as they believe it to be. News intake is only part of the social contract; being informed means more than watching the nightly news or reading the headlines on your smartphone. It means reading more about a topic that concerns you, taking in whatever facts are available and then forming an opinion for yourself.
I do not claim to have all the answers when it comes to modern media and I never will. And what you read here is my opinion. But I will always encourage you to be free-thinking and willing to challenge what someone tells you by finding facts that tell you how something actually is and not how someone would like you to think it might be.
For now, I will leave you with this thought that is not my own but one I believe is appropriate: a lie can travel around the world before truth has a chance to put its boots on. We have the power to stop a lie in its tracks - we just have to be willing to pull on our boots to do it.
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