Why I Want to Be a Journalist

We live in a world, where many of us are not aware of the difference between original news and politically edited news. “We have a free press”, is just a saying. Our daily news that we read in newspapers and magazines, or the news that we hear on radio is highly edited and improvised according to the government. People listen to the news, that the government wants them to listen, and then people form their opinion about everything going on, in this world. They don’t realise that the opinion which they form, are the opinions which the government wants them to form. This is what we were taught by our political science teacher in grade 10th, we were in the middle of a heated conversation about who is better BJP or AAP, voting was about to begin. I agreed with her whole heartedly. That day, I decided, that I wanted to be a journalist. I wanted to know every news firsthand, so that no one could control my opinion.

I am fairly good at writing articles, and one of my articles was published in our school’s magazine, which had further boosted my morale and my desire to write more articles. This was also supported by my good grades, which I scored in English, in CBSE 11th grade finals. I had scored second highest in entire 11th.

When people are sitting in a room and don’t have anything to talk about, they usually discuss about politics, fashion or any current affair. Being a journalist, it would give me an upper edge, as I will be upto date. Isn’t it good when you are the smartest person in the room.

Consequently I took part in a MUN, I was a delegate as press corps, and had to write about the news, which I had collected from the gathering of general assembly. The head of committee taught us, how to write the article and which format had to be followed, in a formal news report. That was an enriching experience.Also the field of journalism is improving everyday, it is stronger than ever, be it social media or print media. People are becoming more aware, and more journalism institutions are being set up. All around the world journalists are trying to reach to people through their articles, speeches, caricatures. They are trying to give citizens, news as it is, without any editing. Journalists have connected the world, in such a manner that whole world looks like one big community. One incidence of rape case, published by a journalist, spreads like a fire. It develops a rage in people. They fight for their rights, new laws are formed and it benefits the country. This was just one example, journalism is doing a lot more, for betterment and improvement of the society. Not only this, but one happy news and whole world is out to celebrate. Journalism plays a very important role in today’s developing and dynamic world. They contribute a lot for this society, I want to help this society, by my contribution in the field of journalism. Information can go astray and its our responsibility, to make sure that it goes in the right direction. I wanted to help people in some way, and I feel that journalism, will provide me that platform.

I want to be a journalist, who knows what actually happened, before the information is swayed by thoughts and opinion of someone else. I myself want to find what had happened exactly, and then form my opinion. Only best university like Ashoka, can truly teach me english and journalism, with complete finesse. I look forward to calling myself a student of Ashoka, and further contributing towards its community.

Works Cited

1. Castells, M. (2009). Communication power. Oxford University Press.
2. Chomsky, N., & Herman, E. S. (2010). Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media. Vintage.
3. Kovach, B., & Rosenstiel, T. (2014). The elements of journalism: What newspeople should know and the public should expect. Three Rivers Press.
4. McChesney, R. W. (2013). Digital disconnect: How capitalism is turning the internet against democracy. The New Press.
5. Merritt, D. (2012). Public journalism and public life: Why telling the news is not enough. Routledge.
6. Schudson, M. (2013). The sociology of news. WW Norton & Company.
7. Sigal, L. V. (2014). Reporters and officials: The organization and politics of newsmaking. Transaction Publishers.
8. Soloski, J. (2020, August 21). Media Bias: Definition, Types, Examples, and Solutions. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/media-bias.asp
9. Stonbely, S. (2015). Journalism and truth: Strange bedfellows. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 30(2), 87-98.
10. Tuchman, G. (1978). Making news: A study in the construction of reality. Free Press.