Since 1919

The Prairie News

Since 1919

The Prairie News

Since 1919

The Prairie News

Understanding free press issues beyond America

Understanding+free+press+issues+beyond+America

So picture this, it’s a beautiful day for Boston given the circumstances of this winter. The snow had stopped, thankfully, and the excitement that moisture was not falling from the sky lifted the spirits of almost everyone who was attending The Power of Narrative Conference at Boston University. Journalists hovered around the free breakfast and lined up to anxiously get their morning fix of coffee. It was five minutes until nine and sessions were soon to start. Classrooms were overflown with journalist’s eager to suck up all the knowledge, advice and stories centered on narrative writing, but only nine sat in room 209.

 

This session did not have a snazzy title that included words like pervs and outcasts, because these words were showcased in other titles, but it did include one word that should have drawn more attention; freedom.

 

There’s a stigma that comes with the word freedom. It means war and death and destruction. It seems so far away, this fight for freedom, which sometimes means it sits on the back burner. In this case, the fight for freedom is in regards to the media; free speech, free press, just uncensored news worldwide. But only nine journalists out of the hundreds that flooded BU were interested in this fight. Why is that? Were the other sessions more appealing? There’s not a solid answer to this. It can only be speculated that people just weren’t interested. But that’s the baffling part. Journalists should care.

 

It was when only a few journalists showed up to learn about press freedom and to hear stories that focused on what journalists are struggling with worldwide when it comes to press freedom, that a realization was made. In this instance, the journalists not present were nothing but self-serving. There were sessions at the same scheduled time that talked about reporting on war and finding your own voice that ultimately would further careers more than analyzing press freedom by taking a look at other countries.

 

This is completely understandable. The point of going to this conference is to learn something that will impact narrative writing. There are highly successful professionals from the field that are there to teach. Why wouldn’t someone skip talks about freedom if it means better understanding how to report on terrorism? Journalists spend the majority of their professional day finding stories and sources and contacts that will ultimately produce stories that aim to serve the public. But what about telling our own story? What about telling the stories of those fighting for free press?

 

As students in the Communication Department at West Texas A&M University, we are taught the importance of what gives us the freedom to practice free speech and embrace free press. Students are required to memorize the First Amendment in more than one class. It’s featured in large black print on the newsroom wall. We know what protects us and what rights we have. But there’s one thing that is commonly under addressed and that’s the fact that other media outlets and other journalists are still working to obtain these rights.

 

Again, this idea seems so far away. It’s something that doesn’t directly affect us. It doesn’t directly impact the ability to do our jobs or our professional goals. But it should. We, as students, should not be oblivious to the fights happening across the world. In fact, these talks should often be parts of discussions not only in the classroom but in the newsroom as well. These discussions shouldn’t just be happening with individuals who are interested in international journalism, but instead with the core of journalism and media students.

 

So, while there’s understanding on why long time professionals would chose to dismiss talks of the free press in a conference setting, it’s important to note that upcoming journalists should not be dismissing these things. They should be learning what struggles are happening worldwide because it ultimately helps in the understanding of our own free press and can ultimately make for some really powerful narrative writing.

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