Ethical journalism

No, that is not the oxymoron you are presuming, although given the sad state of most news outlets these days, I can certainly understand why you may think so.

I am often ashamed to be lumped into the categories of "media" and "journalists", given the poor standards of so many of my counterparts.

Perhaps I am even more ashamed of the society, which has fed this machine.

It was an old family friend, a muckraker from way back, who had prepared me for the onslaught, offering the following words of wisdom:

"The only thing you have when you walk in that door is your integrity. Before the door even closes behind you, you'll have people doing everything they can to take that away from you. They will try to sweet talk you into giving it to them, they will try to buy it from you and they will even beat you over the head and try to snatch it from you. But remember this, whether you're there 2 years or 20 years, when you walk back out that door, your integrity is the only thing you're taking with you.

Sure enough, the good ol' boys were well pleased and eager when I found myself in the role of editor of our community newspaper. I was a young white woman in a small southern town where the only news outlet (our weekly paper) had long-since been labeled as a biased, sensationalist "rag". Local leaders were used to the status quo — controlling the voice of the people by applying pressure when needed, brown-nosing when necessary and resorting to bribery, threats and bricks when all else failed.

"We look forward to some real positive coverage," they stated with a friendly smile, shaking my hand firmly.

I simply mustered my sweetest southern girl voice and replied, "If you do positive things, you will get positive coverage, but don't go getting mad if you do something stupid and end up looking like a jackass across the front page. I will be fair and I will be accurate but that is all I can promise."

It took them a while to grasp that concept. Apparently a man's integrity has a pretty low price tag these days.

My job is simple — I am the eyes and ears of the community. It is my responsibility to ensure that the people of the community have access to the information they need to make informed decisions. It is also my duty to encourage and foster communication among them. It is NOT my responsibility to tell people how they should interpret that information and it is NOT my responsibility to protect the reputations of people or policy.

It can be a difficult line to follow in today's society where the masses have become so accustomed to having their information spoon-fed to them in palatable sips, watered down or sweetened to make their digestion more pleasing.

I believe my readers are intelligent enough to discern information for themselves and refuse to spoon-feed them as though they were toddlers, unable to tell you their favorite color without asking you first what they believe their favorite color to be.

"Ignorance is bliss," George Orwell explained in his novel 1984.

It certainly is. It also seems as though, coupled with apathy, it could lead to utter destruction.