What is a journalist?

 Simply put, journalists are informers. They are writers, speakers, photographers, persons who have made it their interest and passion to tell others about what is going on around them. A journalist is a person that gathers and/or presents recent information and news to the public.

  Now, this broad definition can apply to most people. And one journalist, Nathaniel Clark Fowler writes on journalism, “Nowhere in this book will be found definite rules or regulations, which would be of no use to the intelligent reader, and which would not be understood by the ignorant one.” His mindset is that a journalist's job should not be regulated. However, there should be qualifications for true journalists, established to preserve their honesty, clarify their purpose, and instruct the public rather than deceive them.

 Most essentially, journalists must be characterized by honesty. This begins with informing others about whether the journalist's information is biased or not."To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." a journalist, Edward R. Murrow, explained.

 This extends to a journalist's purpose for doing what they do too. If someone is simply a journalist for the money, rather than having a passion for that business, they are in more danger of dishonesty in their work. Honesty about what you're presenting and why you're sharing it are essential to be a true journalist.

  Still, journalist's must be cautious. Honesty must come with the grace of considering the people you are sharing about and your audience. Tell the truth, absolutely! But be wary that you are presenting things in a way you would be willing to see them, or a way you would want to be seen. "Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible. He is a kind of confidence man, preying on people's vanity, ignorance, or loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse." Janet Malcolm claims. Yet this seems to only reflect the majority of journalists. Not all truth is picture-perfect, glamorous, or beautiful, but even the harshest truth should be given with thought to graciousness.

True journalist's must be honest, true to themselves, and gracious in their work, because it's their life, their work, and what they do will mold the minds of the next generations.