Acting as the Fourth Estate

I'm going to get a little more serious with you on this one. Probably because I want some solemn content on this blog that shows I'm not just about the superficial everyday stuff (I probably am, but lets just pretend I know what I’m talking about). So please try and stick with me as I do my best to regurgitate the content from my Uni degree and make it somewhat funny and entertaining.

Let me bring you up to speed if you haven't been following my journey from citizen to journalist. I’m studying a Bachelor of Journalism at QUT, based on the pretence that I can write and communicate effectively. However, as I sat down and filled in my QTAC application (that horrid document that’s due months prior to finishing Year 12 and charges you to apply for an institution you really have no idea about) I don’t think I realised the full responsibility that journalists uphold in society.

It’s at this point that you’re probably thinking that they are just glorified writers that run after important people, uncovering their personal secrets. Essentially the reputation of the journalist is shocking. Society has seen to believe they are both untrustworthy and dishonest (yeah, totally not regretting my preferences on my application). But if you stop and think about it, the role of the journalist is to inform society of public interests that have implications on you. Journalists are the people on the ground, asking the tough questions and contextualising content that matters to you.

What I’m trying to get at is the responsibility they have to you and your families as they question the Prime Minister or Police Commissioner. They are the watchdogs for the courts, politicians and societal organisations. It is because of journalists that we have a democratic society, one that holds the higher powers to the truth.

There is however an argument about just how far journalists should go. Tara Brown and the 60 Minutes crew, through their role in botched child abduction in Lebanon, are a supreme example of this. Yes, they were in the process of bringing a serious matter to attention but in doing so have taken a government matter into their own hands. There is a fine line in journalism surrounding how far to push the boundaries and when you should stop and abide by the law. This particular issue has got way out of hand. It is in situations like these where no one benefits and the victims become publicised for reasons other than their initial truth.

Ultimately, I hope to become a journalist that reports on the serious issues of the world but not at the cost of illegal doings (I mean I want to be good at my job, obviously, but going to jail doesn’t sit to well with me, just saying). I hope to act in the fourth estate and uphold my duty as a journalist, using my role in society to relay important information to the public.

#ashleighdwan #beyondthestory #journalism