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Monday, September 28, 2009

Let it out... let it ALL out


By Isabelle Abraham

Deadlines. Deadlines. DEADlines. That is my life right now. Any lovely delusions I might have had of journalism were crushed a long time ago. Now there’s only constant stress, the non-existence of sleep and, of course, the pressure to keep up with the pace in this ever-changing mediated world.

Yet, if someone offered me the chance to be anything else, I’d still want to be a journalist. Why? Because as clichéd as it sounds, we have the power.

We have the power to improve lives or to destroy them. Citizens respond to us: they read our words, they listen to our bulletins and they watch our broadcasts. We’ve got influence. A lot of it. But what have we done with it? The objective of today’s media industries is to make money. The idea of profit has blinded the original purpose of journalism: to convey the truth to the public and to give a voice to those who can’t speak out.

Now all we get is shoddy reporting, misquoting, the inaccuracy of facts and a few cases of plagiarism here and there. The most disturbing thing of all is that sensationalism has become the new body suit for writing. Ludicrous headlines, gross exaggerations and the exploitation of exclamation marks: these are what sell newspapers today. And people just lap it up. Well, why shouldn’t they? After all, journalists are supposed to be looking out for the public’s best interests. Yeah, right.

If you’re like me, and are bothered by the way things are run in the media industry, then why not type about it? We need the opportunity to unload our burdens, to comment and to complain, without feeling restricted by chains. This is where our hero Journopad comes in.
Journopad is here to restore dignity to the reputation of journalism.

It is a friend to any journalist and reader around the globe- it enables us speak out... on a blog. Want somewhere to publically let out your frustration? This is the place to do it. No beating around the bush, here you can be brutally honest on how you really feel about the world of journalism. On Journopad you’ll find it all: the humour, the outrage and the controversy. So let it out... let it all out.

As journalists we need to realize our role in society. We have the authority to inform, to engage, and to empower. Let’s use that authority to do at least a little bit of good in this crazy world.


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