Whither journalism?

FOR A better part of 100 years, journalism was the profession that made nice Hollywood stories. Everybody outside the field of journalism thinks this profession is glamorous, exciting and adventurous.
The fact that they thought so was understand. Many of those aspiring to be journalists found out to their horror about a year or two after joining a newspaper or magazine that it wasn't what they had made it out to be.
Journalism is actually zilch on the excitement level three-quarters of the time. One veteran journalist told me once: Savour this moment, my friend. We spent years walking in darkness and in obscurity. Occasionally, something really exciting happens and we are right in the forefront, so enjoy the moment."
How right he was, too.
Journalists are just working class people who seek to tell an ordinary story in the most intelligible and exciting manner as possible. Many of us us actually can't write to save our own lives. "Save me, Save me!" doesn't count.
The really good journalists go on to become authors. Some of them turn out to be good book writers. But that's just about it. Journalists are a dime a dozen these days. There are so many of the. They have become just like ants. You squash one, and there are 10,000 more under the woodwork.
Most of us wish we can right but we are just too lazy to. Anybody with a pre-school education can write a few simple lines. To really write, you need to be a good story teller. Otherwise, you will be just spitting in the wind.
On the bright side, journalists have been known to cause changes in a country or corporation that have affected thousands - for the better.
Today, we read newspapers for information, written by people who sell news as a commodity. Journalism is therefore a much needed profession. People want to know if their lives are the same as others living 1,000 miles away.
We read about individuals striking a multi-million dollar lottery and all of us wish we were in that person's shoes. Then we read about a double-murder near our neighbourhood and become totally grateful that it wasn't our turn to go.
These days, I am slightly worried about journalism. I read foreign newspapers and asked myself: "Is this journalism?" Or, sometimes I say to myself, "these writers are half-insane. They are actually shaming their country in front of strangers."
Very often, journalists write on the side of caution. There are laws against libel and slander. Most journalists who intend to hang around longer than five years tend to refer to their superiors with regard to the laws that govern journalism.
Journalists have been known to be jailed, killed and deported out of unfriendly countries.
Very few journalists write exciting memoirs after they have retired. Simply because their lives were one big boring session. Journalism is not exactly living the life of Indiana Jones.
Journalists are messenger of news. It is an honourble profession with some excitement in store. Nobody knows when will this quality showed up but many people have been known to wait till they are actually given the walking certificate.
One of the good attributes of journalism is the freedom to act as a catalyst to change things for the better. Many a corrupt government has been asked to leave because journalists have been doing their jobs.
However, in recent years, I notice some journalists have great liberties with this freedom of expression clause. They cast aspersions on the characters of dead celebrities and other personalities of national importance. Their only defence is that they say they found this "fact", that "fact" or have interviewed several people.
It is rather sad when I come across stories like this in reputed dailies.
Hey, journalism is an honourable profession. Let's not sully it with innuendoes and libellous stuff that put dead people in bad light and good people who are still alive in trouble.
Journalism is not a licence to smear. I guess most hardworking, intelligent journalists know that. But this rule has been broken more than once.
I believe as far as possible journalists should strive to pursue the line of justice, truth and fair-play. We are not here on Earth to play God, even though some members of our profession mistakenly think they are on the right side of heaven.
We could be construed as the conscience of the nation and we must abide by this principle as far as possible and as long as possible, so help us, God!
Therefore, in the light of my personal revelations, let it not be said that journalists are mostly hacks who can't think straight without a beer on one hand and a handphone on the other.
Fortunately for the profession, more good has been done than bad but as usual we must not rest on our laurels. Otherwise, we will be spiked with our own pens!