Let the public decide

In France they call us “The Fourth Estate.” In the United States, we’re sometimes jokingly called “The Fourth Branch of Government.” Both terms symbolize the way journalists are viewed and treated. Journalists are the people’s aristocracy –I sincerely believe that.
I pull back and say I don’t believe all people are journalists –nor do I believe that when you graduate from a journalism school you become one. I believe with time, good work, and the cumulative effort to make a difference in your work you become a journalist. This is why English had a wonderful way of creating words to describe job positions within journalism: reporter, editor, designer, photographer, graphic artist, sports reporter, etc.
I believe people throw the term journalist around too much. I sometimes think I am in the minority when I say this.
In 1841, philosopher Thomas Carlyle wrote this passage to describe the media. He said, “…in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all. It is not a figure of speech, or a witty saying; it is a literal fact, —very momentous to us in these times. Literature is our Parliament too. Printing, which comes necessarily out of Writing, I say often, is equivalent to Democracy: invent writing, democracy is inevitable. Writing brings Printing; brings universal everyday extempore Printing, as we see at present. Whoever can speak, speaking now to the whole nation, becomes a power, a branch of government, with inalienable weight in law-making, in all acts of authority.”
I quote this because I think this reflects the question of news credentialing, and journalists’ position with the masses and the people in power.
I don’t believe news credentialing is necessary even in this world of mass media we live in because the one thing that journalists have that non-journalists don’t have is mass-credibility. Where when a person write you take at their word almost 100 percent of the time. People like Peter Jennings, Nick Kristof, David Stout or Ted Koppel who produced works that meant something to the general populace.
News credentials aren’t necessary because there would be no way to punish someone for violating the credentials, but most importantly – the people can decide. The readers and listeners of the world do just exactly that – and they let you know when you get something wrong. Oh, goodness they let you know when you get something wrong.
Slate’s Jacob Weisberg wrote this statement on the advent of the Internet regarding “Who is a Journalist?” --- “At another level, the ability for readers to respond to the mainstream press is raising standards of accuracy, care, and professionalism. Simply put, you can't get away with being lazy or careless anymore, because too many self-appointed patrolmen are trying to catch you jaywalking.”
We represent the people, and because there are so many voices out there, I think it’s important for us to do an even increasingly better job being aspiring journalists. There’s a ton of people out there now writing from their bedrooms about everything from latest sock trends to politics. For us to become journalists, we need to rise above the mundane and provide items that the masses can react to – to get emotional about.
That’s why, in the end, the readers en-masse turn to us angrily to get into the deepest reaches of our government – why The New York Times and Washington Post is breaking national political stories and our local papers are unveiling local scandals.
Not everyone is a journalist. We can aspire to be one – and should let the public decide.