Photograph Source:
Pexels.com, Annie29
Responsibility is something everyone has. Although, Paul Murray, the Deputy Crown Attorney says journalists hold a special responsibility when it comes to the courts.
“In my view, you have great power, you have great responsibility,” Murray said.
He said journalists hold power over the truth. If there’s a flaw in the court system, a journalist’s job is to expose the issues.
While keeping this in mind, Murray stressed the message of objectivity. The aspect of manipulation in media when personal bias seeps into one’s reporting.
“I see you as journalists, the protectors of human rights,” he said.
Journalists get to change society, allowing personal bias is tainting the truth of the story and deceiving societies. Rather than looking out for other people, distortion destroys them.
Murray said it may be difficult in society to be objective, considering the many different perceptions.
He emphasized the meaning of discussions, how shedding light upon issues can keep one’s mind objective.
What Murray told us not only impacts our work with the courts, but also our work in general. Stories are about the people, and we should strive to responsibly create, good, balanced stories to reflect well. Not only on ourselves, but our media organizations.
It’s important to think about the responsibility we carry through our words. This was the most impactful thing I took from our discussion with Murray, seeing as it was a recurring theme.
Our words, as journalists are crucial to painting pictures for the public. If we allow our own opinions to taint the story we are trying to tell, the public will never know the truth.