What is a journalist? To my mind, a journalist is someone interested in finding out about a story. A person who collects, gathers and sifts through the information and then formulates it into an article either for print, TV or radio – or these days social media channels.
So what started me down this rabbit hole? Over the last number of years, I have undertaken courses in journalism, and they were all good at teaching you the theory of journalism, and the law, but what was missing was talk about that spark that draws a journalist to put his or her life at risk for a story or fact.
Two separate articles, both from the Belfast Telegraph have made me take a step back and review what I have been doing.
The first was TV presenter Gavin Esker: “Botched Brexit has shattered the idea of a ‘United Kingdom'” and the second, “There’s an easy way for BBC NI to defend its broadcaster against toxic sectarian slurs”.
Northern Ireland adrift
Gavin rightly highlights what is a common thread for so many in Unionism, that yet again Unionists in N Ireland have been treated as not even 2nd class citizens in the United Kingdom. Yes, Boris (Johnson) and his like had a mandate to negotiate for the United Kingdon, but not to the extent of putting Northern Ireland under the ‘gravy train’.
…’ Unionists feel abandoned…NI came nowhere in Boris’s priorities. He just wanted to say that he could get Brexit done’…
Has the BBC got lost down the rabbit hole?
In the second article, Gail Walker writes about journalists having their reputations being maligned by 30-seconds of the tap-tap-tap keyboard. The article speaks about how the BBC is one of the great platforms for truth and justice, with exceptional journalists and reporters; however, it then leads to how the BBC needs to be more clear about how it chooses interviewees or topics. What is their bias, and as she says
…are shows biased, are they balanced, are sections of the community under-respected…
But though some would say we should make more demands of the BBC as we are paying for it with our licence fee, the question has to be asked, can you just leave it at the BBC’s doorstep; shou
ldn’t we be equally clear that all media including the ITV Hub, private radio stations, and social media have a duty of care as to be balanced with their reporting?
Links:
- Belfast Telegraph – There’s an easy way for BBC NI to defend its broadcasters against toxic sectarian slurs – Gail Walker – Apr 2, 2022
- Belfast Telegraph – TV presenter Gavin Esler: botched Brexit has shattered the idea of a ‘United’ Kingdom – Feb 19, 2022
- 100 years of Northern Ireland: how has it gone?
Reporting is about being as accurate as you can with the information currently available; unfortunately to often it has been about sensationalism, trying to get readers, and playing to the gallery when the ‘reporting’ has been about the LGBT community.
