A brief history of journalism

Helen Thomas has seen a lot in terms of presidential politics. She even mentions in her book Watchdogs of Democracy? that she has watched nine presidents come and go. She has also been witness to many of the journalistic trends that accompanied the last century.

I sense cynicism in her writing when she talks about the the current status of journalism, yet at the same time she still holds a lot of pride in the institution. Why is this? How can Thomas look at all that has and is going wrong in journalism and still believe that there is hope? Because it is essential to democracy to have this institution in place. She has watched American democracy dwindle and she knows that if there is hope for our democracy there must be hope for a free media. The two are inseparable.

In Chapter 1 Thomas lists several examples of contemporary journalistic blunders. It is the story about Jason Blair that stuck with me the most. Thomas uses a quote from a book Blair wrote (a confessional of sorts), it describes an entire life that he lived that was based entirely in fiction. He told stories and passed them off as news. Where does this leave the public? If journalism does not serve the public than the people must take back what is rightfully theirs.

Journalism is a special branch of government. We the people are the government. We the people become the government when we agree to relinquish some of our freedoms in order to live in a society based on the majority's principles. We are the media. The media is the government. We become the media when we expose the dark corners where freedom lays dormant. We are the people. We become the people when we grab a hold of every freedom afforded to us and demand more. We are a living being that must not rest until all of our individual parts are united harmoniously and we acknowledge our freedom so that we may live the way that we find fit.