Friday, September 1, was Antillean Press Day. It’s a pretty big deal in the so-called ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao), but not in St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba, which is fine because most serious media workers hate drawing attention to themselves and sort of “blowing their own trumpet.”
However, with journalists worldwide under heightened scrutiny for trying to remain objective and even being accused of creating “fake news” by those who don’t agree with them, it is worthwhile to reflect on the role they play in society. The profession was always considered a noble one and in many cases a calling rather than just a job, but times are changing.
The development of the Internet and social media has led to others in effect becoming news outlets, often without much training as such. For example, some of these amateur “bloggers” think it is okay to include their own opinion in articles presented as factual.
Moreover, there has been a lot of polarisation in the businesses, where selected views are now openly supported. Just before he stepped down, former US President Barack Obama warned against a growing phenomenon whereby people choose to only follow media they tend to sympathise with and ignore others as well as the differing arguments these offer.
The latter doesn’t seem to bother his successor Donald Trump, who misses no opportunity to lambast the media outlets that have reported on him in ways he does not approve of. In doing so he attempts to discredit and turn the voters against them.
In today’s reality anyone with an electronic device can play reporter and reach many others. The distinction between trustworthy and unreliable becomes blurry and people are left hardly knowing whom to believe anymore.
However, good old-fashioned journalism that at least attempts to remain objective is still their best bet. The Daily Herald in any case maintains a policy of clearly separating news from commentary.
Efforts also continue to reflect all sides of every story, although in truth that is increasingly difficult, certainly when posting on digital platforms, where time is obviously of the essence. The New York Times slogan “get it first, but get it right” is nevertheless still applicable.
Some also speak negatively of “mainstream media,” as if one must differ from what the majority thinks to be relevant. It may be a brave new world, but there are plenty of real journalists left who wish to stick to the facts and let the public make up their own minds.
