By Lcid Crescent Fernandez
Being a journalist in the age of memes and the advent of fake news is quite a challenge. People are quick to discredit you and call your reports fake. I applaud this vigilance as fake news peddlers must be eradicated. The effect and power of the media on the general public is a constitutionally recognized concept and cannot be overstated.
This, however, should not be used as a license to discredit news that we do not like or we do not agree with. Daily Guardian has a lot of content on hobbies, advocacies, human interest stories, and opinions. Whatever you may draw from those is up to you. As VP External, I am in charge of content generation and marketing. It’s no secret that nothing goes on in DG without Kuya Lawrence Clark Fernandez‘s or my knowledge/approval.
The news, however, is as untouchable and as unalterable as it has always been in DG. Papa Lemuel Fernandez established DG on the foundation of responsible journalism. This standard is carried on by Francis Allan Angelo who I have seen since my youth hammering away at our editorial staff to triple check sources and make sure everything is verified at every turn. This has been our responsibility, our standard, and our pride. Many call themselves part of the media and that’s fine. We welcome everyone who seeks to carry the banner.
But journalism is not a business. We do not do it for profit. It’s a duty. It’s a creed. Our reporters are out there every day sometimes risking their lives, their health to deliver relevant news that the people need to be informed of. It matters not if this information is good or bad for certain interests (economy, tourism, politics). What matters is that it is the news and that it is reported. To call our reports fake news is a slap in the faces of these brave individuals. And I will never tire of defending our editorial staff’s integrity. I will never tire of defending DG. I will never tire of defending journalism.
Some people say “journalism is dead.” Some people say we don’t need journalism anymore. I say we need it now more than ever. It is when the night is darkest that the candles shine the brightest.
To all the journalists, all the media, we are in this together.
Journalism is not dead.
The blood rushing through our veins is proof of its life.
