Sarah King
Mr. Twining
Journalism
24 January 24, 2012
What Are The Stakes?
The world is in a state of transition, the real question posed is who is going to be able to keep up with it? Journalists have a duty to keep up with the ever changing world, this means embracing technological advances and discarding the outdated traditions that have plagued journalism for so long. While reporting from the front line via television network or twitter the jobs and danger remains the same. These people are risking their loves in the pursuit of the truth despite eminent danger in some of the most God forsaken places in the world. Prime examples is the work camps in the North Korean regime, the brutal attacks in Somalia, and the killings within Syria’s protests. Without the sacrifice given to the world by these trained journalists or citizens who have taken the toll, we would live in a vastly uninformed, isolated society.
The authoritarian regime known as North Korea is one of the most censored part of the world, simply due to fear. Jung Gwang-il a former work camp detainee sates “Yes, there were several journalists in this camp because, as intellectuals with access to information from the outside world, they were the first to criticize the regime”. Journalists are a source of contention for societies who have dark, violent, secrets to withhold from their citizens. The moment that a journalist becomes close to revealing something damaging to the regime, they must be hidden. This is the direct cause of two North Korean journalists being detained and ultimately killed for speaking out against the government. Jung discusses the journalists being held at these camps, “Kim Kyungcheon continued to criticize the regime, although that was dangerous,” Jung told Reporters Without Borders. “He would often say: ‘Why images of the people dying of aren’t hunger shown on TV?’ or ‘Our constitution gives us press freedom but nothing is respected in practice.’ He paid dearly for his criticism. The camp director often shouted him out, saying, ‘We ought to kill you right now.’ After breaking his leg, he was taken to the camp infirmary. He died of his injuries a few days later. We had to dig his grave with our bare hands. His family was not told he had died.” Kyungcheon was just trying to deliver messages to the North Korean people, but their government does not think they deserve that courtesy. Reporter Cha Gwangho also died in that same work camp at age 65. He died as a direct result of malnutrition; his rations were cut in half based on the fact that his old age prohibited effectiveness in his work. Prisoners are rationed only one bowl of soup a day and have to enhance their own diet by eating plants, rats or frogs in order to survive. These two journalists paid the ultimate price for allowing the truth into their lives and trying to share that gift with those around them.
Northern Somalia’s state of disarray is not showing any signs of slowing down; there have been at least eight major press freedom violations in the past two months. These violations ranges from attacks, shootings, to unnecessary arrests. In Northern Somalia, journalists are stalked and beaten by the police and other “Prestigious” authorities, who take their orders from government officials. Abuse of authority, police violence and arbitrary arrest are all common, in this area. Most of these violations have not been explored nor had any ramifications. Reporters Without Borders reports “When attention is turned to Somalia, it tends to focus on the ruined capital of Mogadishu, where fighting continues and where two journalists were killed this summer, and the south, dominated by Islamist militias opposed to the transitional government, very violent attacks on journalists are also taking place in the north, in Puntland and Somaliland.” With all of the focus based on the Southern regions of Somalia the officials in Northern Korea are getting a free pass on the same horrendous, heinous, and unethical treatment of citizens.
Basil Al-Sayed, a 24-year-old citizen who took the act of journalism into his own hands was based in the western city of Homs, Syria. Al-Sayed was shot in the head by the security forces while he continuously filmed the latest bloodbath yesterday in the Homs district of Bab Amr and died while being transported to the hospital. Al-Sayed is the second citizen journalist to be killed in Syria since the uprising. The first was the photographer and video cameraman Ferzat Jarban, who was killed in the same district on 20 November. Citizen journalists have a major role in providing information about progressions in Syria. This comes as foreign journalists are banned from visiting the country and from reporting anything that is happening in the country. This is further evidence to the fact that the way the world receives media information is in a state of transition. Citizen journalists have taken the front seat in the quest for accurate information in many of these conflicted regions of the world.
In the current state of affairs the world is in disrepair, knowledge is lacking, and follow through has disappeared. However, Journalists no matter what form they come in, try to restore these qualities to citizens of the world, despite the risks. I would love to be a journalist, this is because I feel as though the truth is the most basic human right. Without the truth, we as human beings have almost nothing else, I want to be the person who enlightens a group of people. I want to have the pride of knowing that even I do not have anyone listening to me, I have done my best to inform, accurately. In our changing world it is clear that some things with never go away, journalists searching for the truth and injustice.
