“The ‘war with media’ has made me realize journalism is essential to understanding current events and how they pertain to our lives. If a journalist’s mission is to uncover the truth, media is not an ‘enemy’ of democracy, but an institution that invigorates and sustains it.”
“Now more than ever it is the responsibility of journalists to report the truth and hold leaders accountable. That is precisely what I want to do with my life.”
It seems clear that talk of “fake news” and journalists as the “enemy of the people” has impacted the younger generation. The discussion continues:
– Roger Boye, Director, The Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute
Below are excerpts from the applications of high school journalists, all juniors, who applied for our five-week summer journalism program. There are many others I could provide.
We received essays like this not only this spring but last spring too. It seems clear that talk of “fake news” and journalists as the “enemy of the people” has impacted the younger generation. They understand the role of journalism in society, or as our University president puts it, “this calling so fundamental to a functioning democracy.”
We had the most applications for our summer program in at least 25 years. Also, Medill had a 24 percent increase in the number of students applying for our 2018 freshman class versus a year ago. There undoubtedly are various reasons for this, but I would put the talk coming out of Washington top on the list.
“Fake news, words that are contradictory in nature, are being screamed out toward almost every news outlet. The very thing I respect most about journalism is being contested and I feel obligated to clear its name, to be part of the progressive journalism movement and to restore the prestige large journalism companies and reporters once held.”
“Now more than ever it is the responsibility of journalists to report the truth and hold leaders accountable. That is precisely what I want to do with my life.”
“The ‘war with media’ has made me realize journalism is essential to understanding current events and how they pertain to our lives. If a journalist’s mission is to uncover the truth, media is not an ‘enemy’ of democracy, but an institution that invigorates and sustains it.”
“I aspire to be an ethical journalist because this will be the only way to win back respect and trust. I am passionate about journalism because I am committed to reporting facts while remaining true to myself.”
“Heavy as it is, the mission of reviving journalism is up to our young generation because journalism keeps checks on the powerful and watches over democracy. Journalism may be the most important job for my generation because it is on us to rescue democracy.”
“Are the media truly the ‘enemy of the people’ as President Trump says? In an era when claims of alternative facts pervade media coverage and lies are masked as truths, journalism is risky business. But I am armed with a pen, paper and computer, ready to join the battle.”
– Roger Boye, Director, The Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute