Journalism has side-chicks

Journalism has side-chicks. They constitute the less serious aspects of journalism that can detract from its integrity and core mission. So, while celebrating Press Freedom Day 2024, spare a moment to find out what they are!

Welcome, dear journalists (real and fake) and mischief-makers, to a wonderful day on the calendar—Press Freedom Day! Today, we raise our pens or two-kobo Android phones in celebration of the noble pursuit of attention, truth, justice, and the occasional typo.

Well, the pen might be “mightier than the sword,” but never as sharp as autocorrect. In any case, that used to be true before Andy Rubin and his team came up with the Android project. Now, even quacks have the unconstitutional right to turn a presidential proclamation into an inconsequential recipe for pancakes. The tragedy of misinterpretations in communication, if you ask me. But, don’t, anyway!

Journalism is in a hurry

Yes, in today’s fast-paced world of journalism, every story is urgent. Sorry, “breaking!” From groundbreaking news to news about breaking wind, journalism now walks a fine line between uncovering truth and discovering the color of foul air.

Ah, that enigmatic allure of “breaking news”! Sometimes, despite the fake urgency, it leaves us scratching our heads, wondering what exactly is so “breaking” about it. Yet, the only thing truly breaking about “breaking news” often turns out to be our patience—as we wait endlessly for the actual news to break. Imagine a wide-eyed anchor declaring: “We interrupt our regular programming for this breaking news!” Only for you to see a picture of a cat stuck in a tree!

“Breaking news” has become a sign of desperation—a tool used to attract undue attention. It’s a frantic attempt to lure someone to read, watch, or listen to empty content. So, relax. It’s not the news that’s breaking—it’s our collective sanity as we try to make sense of it all.

Headlines and blunders as side-chicks

Headlines used to act as windows into the stories. Someone described headline crafting as a “dance between accuracy and alliteration.” But today, man can bite dogs. And, a “Politician Speaks Truth…” A newspaper once accidentally wrote “Pubic Library” instead of “Public Library” in a headline. Unless clean-shaven, it must have been a hairy situation, I guess.

I was taught that when doctors make mistakes, they are buried—six feet, sometimes. Lawyers’ mistakes are hidden—locked up behind bars. But journalists’ mistakes are always blown open—on the front pages and public TV screens! For instance, there was an occasion when one group was “unjustly” replaced with another: “Prostitutes Appeal to Pope,” when it was meant to be “Protesters Appeal to Pope.”

A foreign newspaper once told us: “Obama Visits Friends President” instead of “Obama Visits French President.” While the French president may have enjoyed the friendship, another medium gleefully announced in a photo caption that a: “Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter.” Perhaps, the man was more active and vindictive as a ghost!

Yet, the blunders real journalists make in their genuine hurry to update the world with news only show their human side. They also illustrate that even in the serious business—where journalists risk lives and limbs to bring us news from some of the world’s most dangerous places—there’s always room for a little laugh.

Importance of Fact-Checking in Journalism

Still, while fighting with authorities for a freer press, the need for fact-checking redoubles! Even in this era of alternative truths, facts remain sacred. Journalism has side-chicks, and it’s essential to address them.

Yeah, truth is stranger than fiction, and fiction is sometimes presented as truth. So, the sure way to remain credible in journalism is to fact-check! Without facts, we might as well all be watching a prank-filled reality show called: “Impractical Jokers”!

At the moment, the true health of journalism is uncertain. Half alive; half dead! Any possibility of full recovery? Maybe. Perhaps dropping some of the side-chicks mentioned above may help speed up recovery. Yet, as the ethics of the practice give way to Android emojis and illiterate Gen Z coinages, journalism increasingly risks usurpation by charlatans. We no longer struggle with the quacks only; robots may soon replace reporters and one day win the Pulitzer Prize for the most creative use of emojis in a “breaking tweet”!

Meanwhile, raise your glasses in celebration of the day. And never forget the countless journalists who occasionally stumble over their own words as they struggle to inform! Here’s to the numerous side-chicks dragging journalism down!

*This article was written to mark the 2024 Press Freedom Day.