Truth. Activism. Justice.

By Destiny Lugo

Journalism- a courageous art of a profession, knows many faces, – actors who have both skillfully done it justice, and those who have brutalized it.  The scene is all too common; desks covered in the scribbled pages of news stories, journalists anxious to get the right look before airing live for the world to see, literary authenticity criticized by the dripping tar of political correctness, the heart of a human experience lost to the greedy impulses of interviewees desperate for a headline, and uncommon and unpopular narratives that expose, buried alive for the sake of conformity- for the sake of our mirage we tell ourselves is truth. 

         In the field, there are too many who call themselves journalists without truly understanding the nature of the word. Tragically, journalists have begun to sound like the pervasive current of indoctrination that pollutes our world. We must lift the battered and mud-covered art of journalism up from the filth of those who chase the platform for power and control, and speak the language of babel- we must rescue it from those who hastily speed the process of story cultivation for the sake of fame and visibility. 

         To the journalists of both today and tomorrow I implore you to see that your mind, your mouth, and your pen, has the power to shape narratives, to influence the way a whole society and generation think. Oh what treachery to be the catalyst of the spread of a lie, of a revolution of hate, and what bliss to be the inspiration of a wave of compassion- the promise of a dawn of justice and reformation. 

          As the future journalists, writers, and reformers of this generation, it’s critical we understand that we are here to tear down arguments, not people- to be those whose words burst with discernment understanding the battle is not in winning the argument, but rather in demystifying the fog of ideas, exemplifying a willingness to share experiences, prepared to discover any kind of truth. 

           We are to be peacemakers not peacekeepers- it’s time to burn the status quo and forge a new path- one where the walk of cowardice is forsaken, and the highway of truth is earnestly sought. The path so vehemently persecuted, yet so utterly rewarding. 

          For the journalists of today and tomorrow, I say to you, arise with courage, curiosity, openness, and above all, arise with passion; the kind of passion that re-affirms worth to the news scribbles, the passion that captures raw truth on camera instead of fabricated perfection, the passion that is brave enough to endure the scrutiny of publishing controversial pieces, the passion that sits with the humans we interview, refusing to see them as a means to an end for our next great story, and a passion so committed to truth, that it is willing to discover and make known to the world, anything it finds, refusing to be selfishly selective. 

         From the mud of misinformation, and the deceit of agendas, the journalists of both today and tomorrow can be the remnant of the profession who value truth over visibility, and the integrity of society over shifty trends. Together, we can return to the heart of journalism, and welcome a new day in the field- one where we can confidently declare, “I am a journalist!”