I Walk the Line: Between Journalist and Activist

Walking the line in the journalist's case is not to be confused with Johnny Cash's idea behind his song "I Walk the Line." Although the song is cherished because of his distinct voice and the infamous chord progression, Cash sings about walking a straight line of decency by following the rules.

It's not that journalist's shouldn't follow all of the rules, I just believe there are times in which the journalism field requires outliers that are willing to break the rules, or the journalism norms, to shed light on injustices. But I am talking about the line between journalism and activism that in some nonprofit organizations might seem a bit hazy. Are the issues that nonprofit organizations choose to report on in the best interest of the public, or the donors? Or do they themselves have a particular agenda that sways their reporting?

David Carr (one of my all time favorites after watching Page One) wrote an article in the NYTs titled "Journalism, Even When it's Tilted,"that where in instances in which American mass media doesn't cover some topics, nongovernmental organizations - some with agendas - are filling those voids. However, Carr brings up the question of "who is a journalist and who is an activist, and can they be one in the same?"

Kevin Davis from NetNewsCheck.com wrote a similar article titled, "Greater Scrutiny for Nonprofit News?" Davis too has heard the question of whether or not mission-driven organizations that do not have a steady cash flow and rely on donors can "sustainably and ethically perform the core public accountability functions of the fourth estate." 


Davis concludes his article with the standard that all non-profit news organizations should mention any individual or company that donates over $1000, so then readers know where the support is coming from. Davis writes:

By adopting clear and practical editorial independence policies, coupled with an unwavering commitment to transparency, nonprofit newsrooms can avoid the inherent risks in accepting philanthropy to produce much needed and valued public service and investigative journalism so desperately needed in a free democracy.

The most important part of that quote to me is calling reporting a "valued public service" that is "desperately needed." One of the reasons I decided to study journalism is because of the impact good reporting can have on an issue that I might be passionate about. However, if I seek to report on an issue I am passionate about, is that expressing a type of activist bias? 

In the previously mentioned NYT article, Glenn Greenwald is quoted saying a statement about journalists that I immediately wrote on a sticky note and hung above my desk. He said, "All activists are not journalists, but all real journalists are activists. Journalism has a value, a purpose- to serve as a check on power."