Why Social Justice and Journalism Go Hand-In-Hand

With increasingly polarized politics, journalism is often interpreted as a disillusionment of the truth. And in many cases, this is true— with the development of the internet these past two decades, journalism has been reshaped as we know it in terms of its credibility, and with it, the public’s confidence in reporting. While “fake news” can pose a threat to our current society, an equally, yet more subtle threat is the decreasing presence of investigative journalism. As people invest less money in newspapers, most media organizations don’t have the resources to dedicate reporters to perform months-long, in-depth research. However, without investigative journalism, we lose a driving force in society holding people accountable. Journalism and justice are codependent forces, and when one recedes, the other will follow. 

If we look at the major breakthrough moments in the past century, most of them have been backed with journalism work. In 2002, the Boston Globe's Spotlight team disclosed sexual abuse allegations in the Catholic Church, prompting investigation and accountability within one of the most central institutions in the U.S.  One of the biggest political turning points in U.S. political history, Watergate, was only made possible by two Washington Post reporters. Or even as far back as the 1890s-- the beginning of muckraking journalism-- Ida B.Wells published her revolutionary exposé into the lynching crisis across the South. With the U.S.'s role as one of the richest countries in the world, it is easy to dismiss the need for true muckraking journalism as a thing of the past. But we don't know what we don't know, and with our wealth as a country comes a growing disparity in privilege and power. In fact, many people are unaware that being a journalist is considered to be one of the most dangerous careers, particularly in developing countries. Our own country's values of freedom of the press are undermined if that right is not exercised properly-- not only in just thoughtful, credible reporting but in challenging the upper institutions which too often make efforts to subvert others.

Now, in the 21st century, we need to find a way to restore public confidence that the press is a stepping stone towards justice as opposed to an obstacle. Over-biased media are products of our current political climate. But in order to continue to function as a society with a guiding interest in social justice, we must find a way to separate the two.