First thing we do, Let’s kill all the Journalists

Warning: This article has no purpose! If you are looking for anything other than reading about someone’s frustration and maybe in the end agreeing with it, then don’t waste your time. This article cannot give any solutions or any profound meaning to your life, it is just thoughts put on paper with no conclusion. However, I think they need to be heard. So after this caution, let’s get to it. Oh by the way it is loosely related to Indonesia as well.

So, in the country of the many islands (the poetry is back) and temperatures that can always fry your eggs with salmonella, we are organizing an event, so naturally we are looking for media partners. Therefore we, happy and bright eyed kids went to a local television station to talk about a potential partnership. The first thing the fine gentleman ,who wants to call himself a journalist, tells us is that he wants to present the event as something good for Indonesia and Indonesian, and not as an event run by foreigners who destroy their culture. He was sort of saying Indonesia for Indonesians, although I guess that might have been too much even for him. I mean, he did, interview us on a festival, but then we were praising the culture and saying how much we enjoy it. So us filthy foreigners are good for something after all. He then continued by telling us that he cannot support us if we dare to bring anyone who will speak against the government or the common beliefs of people. Let’s say that we bring a person who has been discriminated upon by the state because he didn’t belong to one of the five recognized religions. That would be unacceptable for him, since it might make some people angry or make them realize that because they live in a comfortable reality does not mean that everyone does, and that is something that a journalist should never do, right?

Everyone, who has a job description of telling the truth, like lawyers and journalists, start by wanting to do just that. You will see many, still pimply, faces in the university auditoriums every new academic year, eager to fight for what they think is right. Most of them will of course understand that the simplicity of telling the truth is not really fitting for our world. Your truth is not mine and connotations and semiotics can completely change the meaning of anything. Furthermore television stations, radios, newspapers and even YouTube channels cannot survive by eating morality and a clean conscious, so constantly going against the grid and what people and governments want to hear will have you shut down pretty quickly. It seems like I am contradicting myself but I am not. The answer is not saying whatever you want, cause «that is freedom of speech and that will change the world». All that would do is make people close their ears shut. But as someone who wants to call themselves a journalist, putting a muzzle in everything you don’t want and acting as a soundboard, definitely makes you the opposite. Being a journalist is a privilege and responsibility and if you don’t act like it, then you should go work in advertisement.

So, is there an answer? A golden ratio? As I said this is not an article with answers, mostly just questions. But if a solution hides somewhere, then it is probably in the balance. The balance of satisfying your audience while reporting on what is happening and letting voices to be heard. But that balance is for each one of us to find.