While the stories covered change every day, the most important goal of a journalist never changes – which is to cover all possible sides and raise the important questions.
From the first semester of my Journalism course, I have learnt that we must always try our best to remain unbiased and produce stories that make readers think. Through various personal attempts and a general observation of the journalistic practices taking place in the world, I realized that it is our human tendency to be biased and that it is almost impossible to deliver a perfectly centred report.
So, while we may not be able to control this urge to commit bias, we can choose who we are biased towards, and that decision is the key difference between a good journalist and a mockery.
Personally I believe that if you choose to be biased toward the ones whose voice is never heard, the marginalized and oppressed – then you are an efficient journalist. A tip to keep in mind for ambitious journalists who wish to become editors – hire journalists from the minority communities. The best coverage of any community can only be obtained by the members of the community.
I have understood that the true purpose of a journalist is simply this – setting up the stage and passing the mic but not to those who possess their own auditoriums.