PressEthic

Last night a young woman asked me what I did for a living. When I replied that I was studying journalism, she practically sneered at me. If I had said I was preparing to drink the blood of newborn children I probably would have gotten a better response.

Why is it that the profession of journalism doesn’t command more respect? Sure, the field encompasses the celebrity-stalking paparazzi and tabloid writers. On the other hand, there are reporters risking their lives around the world to get stories.

According to an article in MediaGuardian.co.uk:

“This year is the deadliest on record for journalists and media workers, with 75 deaths to date, the World Association of Newspapers said.”

Take the case of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. According to an Oct. 7 article in The New York Times:

“Anna Politkovskaya, the veteran Russian journalist and author who made her name as a searing critic of the Kremlin and its policies in Chechnya, was found dead on Saturday in her apartment building, shot in the head with a pistol, the authorities and her colleagues said.

Ms. Politkovskaya, 48, was a journalist with few equals in Russia. She was a special correspondent for the Novaya Gazeta newspaper and had become one of the country’s most prominent human rights advocates.”

The murder of Ms. Politkovskaya was by no means an isolated incident. Reporters in Iraq are often terrorist targets, and it is not uncommon for journalists to put their lives on the line to get stories. Their legacy makes me proud to be a journalist.