Journalists are not the enemy

I feel like I’m always telling people about how the media isn’t the enemy of the people, but I guess I need to keep saying it because somehow, when something goes wrong, the media gets blamed first.

I’ve noticed this a lot in the past couple of years — from liberals and conservatives alike. Most of the time, people don’t know what they’re talking about when they complain about the media.

Recently, comedian Billy Eichner tweeted “How any serious journalist or news outlet could cover this Kanye West nonsense instead of climate change, voter suppression in Georgia or any number of issues that actually matter and not this f****** b******* PR stunt by a narcissistic pop star I’ll never know. Shameful.”

I have two things to say to that. One being, journalists cover things people are interested in, and whether you like it or not, Kanye West is always going to be someone people will want to read about.

Number two, if journalists weren’t covering climate change, voter suppression in Georgia or “any number of issues that actually matter,” then you wouldn’t know about them. Journalists write about everything — it’s our job. Is it the journalist’s fault that their story about Kanye West went viral while their coverage of climate change only got 50 retweets? I don’t think so.

Without the media, the general public would be in the dark about so many issues. Think about all of the major scandals that have surfaced because of stories that were published — Watergate, sexual abuse by Catholic priests and more recently, Harvey Weinstein. Without journalists, it’s very possible that those issues may have never come to light.

It’s easy to blame the media when you see things you don’t like. Sorry you’re seeing more about Kanye West on your timeline than climate change but that have more to do with who you’re following, not what the media is (or isn’t writing) about.

Also, if you’re reading People Magazine or the Global Enquirer for all of your news information, chances are you’re not going to find much substance there.

Take a good look at the outlets you’re reading from, if they’re not reporting on what you think they should be, then maybe you should find another source for your information. Trust me, someone is always covering something.

Don’t turn journalists away — we’re not the enemy. We’re here to bring the truth. And if you happen upon an organization that is biased and doesn’t use facts, then those aren’t real journalists.

Journalists have and will continue to shine light in the world’s dark corners because we believe it’s the people’s right to know what’s going on in the world around them. We’re not the enemy, we’re anything but.