Blog Post #2 - Why Journalism?

Almost every time I am asked the question, "What is your major" and I respond with, "Journalism" I am met with a reaction of worry and surprise. Even my own grandparents winced when I first told them what I was going to college for. They all think I am going to become some corrupted, biased, piece of garbage that feeds off of incorrect information and the blood of enemies. Solely because I am becoming a journalist. While I don't plan on becoming those things, I totally get why they would think that.

Journalism as a whole has become something that a lot of people laugh at. They see the biased, one-sided reporting of CNN and Fox and believe that all journalists are like this. I won't lie, I doubt my ability to change the world from time to time, and changing the way the news business is heading also sometimes falls under that umbrella of doubt. I've shadowed and talked with multiple reporters and journalists who say things like, "The business is dying" or even "Don't go into this business" due to the nature of the business itself. Every reporter wants to change the world with their words, but I think many of them learn it isn't that easy once they actually get the job.

So now that leads to me. I have been telling stories since my freshman year of high school. I was a reporter for my school's Emmy award-winning weekly TV show called The Buzz. I even had my own series on it called Reece's Road Trips, where I traveled across the Carolinas telling the wackiest, most interesting, and emotional stories I could find. This series made me love the art of storytelling, and I called it journalism because that's what journalism is supposed to be. I then came to college and I began to learn about what types of things other people called journalism. 

The emphasis on the work that was done was no-longer quality, but rather quantity. The pieces that my peers produced were based on getting the assignment done, rather than making it such a great segment or story that it could win awards. I understand that in the real world there are strict deadlines that sometimes don't allow for creative juices, but that is no excuse for cutting corners.

I want to be a journalist to fix what needs to be fixed in this business. Yes, everyone wants to "tell the stories that need to be told," but the majority of people that get into the business find that that mindset is too hard and expensive. That goes for quality as well. The amount of zoom call interviews I see on the news now is ridiculous. And I know there are people who are going to read this and say, "Actually it's because of Covid-19," but we all know well enough that they could get those interviews in person. They just don't want to spend the time or money.

So in conclusion, I'm fed up with the fact that the crap we see on the tv and in magazines is classified as "real journalism." Therefore, I want to continue to be a journalist so that I might have the chance to make some real change in the business and in turn, the world.

Here is a link to a Ted Talk from 3 years ago, but I think it is still incredibly valuable and relevant today:

Beating Fake News