What a mediocre and malicious custom, attacking the press, this is a desperate appeal, my bewildered impression, my daring interpretation of what is happening with the press today. And it’s not because of the recording and microphone journalists, it’s not because of the media, it’s not because of the information, no! it is because of politicians, it is because of Twitter posts, but it is, above all, and who would believe this paradox, by seasoned reporters, journalism masters and opinion leaders. Every day I see how they attack this beautiful and noble profession and become ex officio judges.
Politicians, who many times to exculpate themselves from their own sins point out that it is the press that orchestrates smear campaigns. Politicians fear the media’s exercise of counterpower and in that chaotic fear they want to fight back, no matter how. The ruling parliamentarians, the councilors from all over the country and even the authorities elected by the people do it, without any calculation or respect for those who exercise rigorously the trade, they point out and label the media and journalists as neo-Nazis, radical extreme right, employees of fascism or, failing that, electrifying titles of oppressors, violent and place a tombstone so that the angry public joins in and believes that the press is a easy prey to crack.
The erratic actions of that campaign with the press go through the evasion of questions, they do not give interviews to explain the result of their actions, often of dubious ethics or open prebendalism. To take refuge in their armored capsules. What do they do? They attack, they are accused of harassment and persecution, and the greatest impudence we are hearing is that there are racist, homophobic journalists and other nonsense.
In that same situation, statements have been heard that journalists are their enemies and they express that they are not afraid of them. But to make this situation worse, it is clear that there is a silent war between journalists themselves. Not long ago, journalism had a beautiful and even poetic sense of camaraderie. Among the reporters they did not see each other as enemies, even though they were competitors, although each one gave a different approach to information -that is what freedom of expression is all about- no one presumed bad faith of the other nor self-proclaimed moral owner of the truth. On the contrary, empathy prevailed, understanding the journalistic exercise beyond the individual interpretation of reality.
If, on the one hand, the political actors attack the press and, on the other, the journalists themselves fight for spaces between them, then there is no doubt that there must be a turn of the rudder beginning in the higher houses of study, where, in addition to the curriculum that is taught , strive and train more than ever, to put the truth before any interest or fear that the future journalist may have. Everyone knows that for the media bad news is good news. This must end, fundamentally when the country’s scenarios are increasingly politicized, it requires journalists concerned only with the truth, with good sense and, fundamentally, with the good sense of offering notes to spokespersons who misinform the population, to spokespersons who represent not only to an ideology, but fundamentally the aspirations of society, who we see with astonishment how free expression is so misused and spoiled.
The editors, the press officers and the street journalists have to be attentive, the truth of the facts before the truth of a sectarian interest or an unpatriotic interest. The attacks will always come, the sad thing is that these attacks often twist the veracity and honesty of the information.
