What The Hell Is A Journalist?

Corrupt Journalism In South Africa (And Beyond) - Part 2

Have you ever wondered what it is that journalists do? Oftentimes people become apprehensive whenever someone is introduced as a journalist. We are mistaken for Shwashwi attending a debauched house album launch at Maboneng Princinct or Western Paparazzi invited to some gala dinner in North Hollywood.

This has happened to me in different cities, townships, and villages. As soon as they say, “Meet Kgoshii Lerabela, he is a journalist,” people become uncomfortable. Others would beg me not to write about them, even if it is clear that there is nothing to write home about. People assume we can write about anything or get anything printed. They do not know that we must pass a lot of tests before information turns into a story.

For this reason, I felt it was imperative for my readers to understand what journalism is, at least at a basic level. Once you understand the basics, we can move on to deeper matters involving this crucial aspect of our society. In my opinion, without journalism, the world will find itself in cataclysm. However, I must admit, that while journalism is good for society, corrupt journalism isn’t. In my years as a cracker-barrel philosopher, I learned that not everything good is good and not everything bad is bad. For example, medicine is good on its own, but given to the wrong patient, it can become bad. In the same way, venom is bad on its own, but given to a snakebite victim, it can become good.

That is why I believe that if journalism (especially investigative journalism which focuses on exposing scandals) is used to push the agenda of a particular individual or group, it becomes corrupt in its application. That is the reason I often get dismayed when I watch the news. My experience helps me read between the lines. I can see when there is an agenda behind a media exposé. I can also see when the news is innocent. Honestly, I believe that the only agenda of the media should be to inform in order to empower. The day journalists start choosing which scandals to expose and which to conceal, we are doomed as a nation. It means the public (readers and viewers alike) is being used to further the nefarious agenda of someone whose intentions are not to empower us but to empower himself or his cabal. That is where corrupt journalism rears its ugly head. Unfortunately, only a trained eye can spot it. Sadly again, spotting it doesn’t mean anything, not when the media has all the power to deny you a platform to expose that corruption.

In the previous post, we focused on whistle-blower Angelo Agrizzi and the dangers of messing with the media. At the bottom of the article, I promised to deal with the intricacies of corrupt journalism. However, I realised that it is only fair we first unbundle journalism before throwing the gauntlet on the entire corrupt journalism spectrum. I suggest we first reassemble journalism, as both as a skill and a trade. As with everything journalistic, we must begin with the Five Ws and an H.

So, WHAT is journalism?

I could try giving a fancy definition outside what is normally purported, simply because my experience allows me to. Having spent more than a decade chasing headlines and deadlines, I can safely say I intimately know what journalism is. Instead of providing a definition for the sake of definition, let me point out the Seven Elements That Make Journalism What It Should Be.

-          Tracking Data

-          Gathering Data

-          Interpreting Data

-          Interrogating Data

-          Reorganising Data

-          Disseminating Data

-          Promoting Data

This is how it works, at least from where I’m standing. This is where it starts:

A journalist hears something from a source. Most of these sources are generally random people that you meet at a tavern, a night club, at church, on a bus, in a taxi, and at times between the sheets. Once a journalist has heard the unverified information (usually in the form of gossip), he makes it his duty to start tracking the information to its prime source. That’s what we call tracking data. Yep, a journalist must have the skills of a trained hunter. It’s a jungle in there, and we often get lost chasing unicorns. A unicorn is a data point that you only hear about, but never get to see. It is the urban legend of publishing. That’s why it is a shame when journalists start publishing rumours. It is sheer lazy journalism; nothing more, nothing less.

In the real world of professional journalism, the hunter must track the antelope until it is found and killed. Once a trained journalist has successfully tracked the information, he gathers it carefully and takes his time making sense of it. This making-sense-of-it is what we call interpreting data. Without proper interpretation, data can be misleading. That’s where we begin the process of interrogating data. Interrogation is not just going through information for the sake of completing a task. It is about poking holes in what you have found, and ensuring that it is watertight.

When a journalist is done interrogating the data, he must now reorganise and send to the editor for approval. Once the editor has approved, the information is then disseminated, which is called publishing. However, I must indicate that publishing is a process; hence I choose the word dissemination. From there, the publisher will see to it that the disseminated information is promoted on different and relevant platforms.

Now that we have established what journalism is, let us delve into its corrupted form. I hope this article was enlightening.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: Corruption is a psychological disease. Until our minds are transformed, our society will continue to be corrupt to the bone. For that reason alone, we desperately need a taste of Mind Power Journalism - the kind of journalism that investigates psychological (internal) corruption, as opposed to material (external) corruption. A man is corrupt in his mind before he is corrupt in the world.

Please click on this link to read about Corrupt Journalism and everything it represents.

NB: These posts are not meant to denigrate the media fraternity, but to touch on a psychological factor that I feel many have not been able to touch. I believe it takes a rebel to achieve such. You be the judge.

Regards,

Kgoshii Lerabela

Son of Detani Mulli