I used to have hope for journalism. After writing for multiple publications over the years, I realize journalism isn’t merely dead. It died a long time ago.
Maybe I’ve been excoriated one too many times by empty suits in elected roles. Some days, I think it’s no longer worth the time and energy to try to find the “truth.”
To paraphrase Bob Dylan, “What is the truth, and where did it go?”
Sadly, few media outlets are interested in the truth. They’re interested in clicks. For proof, just look at what passes for stories these days.
Further, if they’re holding the powerful to account, why do they always cry about the death of democracy? At best, they’re doing a pathetic job holding those in power accountable.
Perhaps they should take a closer look at themselves — and their failures. That would require a level of self-awareness few “reporters” have.
Anyone who’s ever attended an event — and is honest with themselves — would acknowledge the media-politician complex. Politicians want to look good for the television cameras, and reporters want to think they’re important because they have access to “powerful” people.
Yet, they rarely hold people to account.
They might risk that access if they ask tough questions. So, at best, they ask the appearance of tough questions.
Consider the labor commissioner who tried to denigrate me this week, saying, “You’re just a reporter.” I don’t even know what that means. I’m not “just a reporter;” I’m a small business owner.
If he is so concerned about Georgians being employed and the state’s unemployment rate, why would he try to make it hard for a small business owner to do his job? I have a theory; I’ll let you surmise your own.
In the meantime, here’s a random picture of the Georgia governor I took yesterday at an event I covered as a “journalist.” I am not a photographer, but I took the picture because I always try to improve my skills and believe in going the extra mile.
Who knows? It could be one of my last as a “journalist,” an idiotic term I’ve never liked and one that carries no weight.