Do I want to be a Journalist?

These are the words I submitted to my department when applying for the broadcasting program (with a few changes and additions since). Do I still want to be a journalist? Do I still believe these words?

Broadcast journalism is not about being on television, ending a report with your own name, or standing next to important people. Journalism is much more than this. Journalists are story tellers committed to the truth—the whole truth, while telling the story of life.

News is real—the story told through the eyes of the journalist. While journalists are meant to tell the stories of life, their interpretation and emphasis may differ. Journalist hold the very important role of information gatekeeper, deciding what successfully passes through the gate or not. Therefore, the eyes of the gatekeeper, and how they see the world, are vitally important for every one of their viewers.

When I look at the world, I see life a little deeper than name brands and magazine covers. I want to see beyond the latest fad, perhaps to the store employee that struggles to sell that fad to support a family.

Throughout my experiences in journalism, I have been privy to a world unseen by the everyday citizen. While working at Classical 89 Radio and KBYU Television, I have been privileged to research about and talk with many people. Knowing I have the opportunity to better the world by reporting about the importance of knowledge, culture, accomplishment and family, gives me a sense of purpose. This opportunity to improve the world around me comes through the title of “journalist.”

While working on my education in broadcasting, I was able to experience circumstances that exist for journalists on a daily basis. Although journalists must consolidate all aspects of a story into a mere few minutes for broadcast, sometimes, the most personally powerful moments do not make it to air. As a journalist, I have been fortunate to hear the parts of a story edited out of the final project, the parts that will never reach the eyes of the audience, but will always remain with me.

Reporting is not about being on TV. It is about being in the moment behind the camera, putting the people on the screen. It is helping the audience to really see. Journalism is not about buying the fancy makeup or ensuring that every day is a good hair day for the anchor. I know what it is like to have technical problems, to stand around at a meeting for hours without managing to capture even ten seconds of usable footage, to hit dead ends, to do the grunt work just to allow someone else to slap their name on your project, to work with irritable people and under pressure. But I also know that the story is worth the fight. I know what it is like when everything comes together, and you know you are making a difference. I am the eyes my audience looks through to see the world. This is what journalism is to me; this is why I want to be a journalist.