A minority stance

I believe that a journalist’s credibility is the most important attribute for us to protect. If we don’t work to ensure our work is credible to the public, to the highest degree possible, the news industry is worthless and will eventually die.

The message on the blackboard on Wednesday read, “We are the arms dealers in the war of words.” When the trust to be the public’s voice is questioned or distrusted, we will have lost the war.

The widely held belief that “anyone can be a journalist,” only belittles the credibility that those of us with extensive news training have earned. In this sense, I am for requiring journalists to be licensed and/or credentialed. We should be held to higher standard than CNN I-Report or the millions of bloggers.

I don’t mean to say that there aren’t quality journalists out there who aren’t journalism school trained. Peter Jennings didn’t even graduate high school and he was one of the most trusted newscasters of our time. But, when a profession is based on credibility I want to be able to show the public how much I have put into being a trusted voice. And if that means being held accountable to a “News Council” when journalism codes are broken, I’m still for it. We scrutinize other professions’ job performance, why are we any different?

Doctors, lawyers, and even teachers need to be certified and that is why their expertise is rarely if at all questioned. I want to have the best doctor operate on me just like I want to trust the journalist who covers the White House. People like Jason Leopold, Jason Blair, and other unethical journalists make up just a tiny percentage of journalists, but their reputations create a cloud that covers the rest of us. Credentialing and de-credentialing journalists will help put up a much needed wall between those to be trusted and those that don’t deserve that respect.

We are granted an unbelievable privilege in this country. Journalists are the gatekeepers of the public interest, we create knowledgeable citizens; we analyze institutions, and hold those in power accountable.

I’m not a big fan of clichés, but one seems to work here: “To whom much is given, much shall be expected.”

Professor Steffens asked if journalists are more equal to others. In the sense of the responsibility we are granted, the access we need and enjoy and the forums we use to disseminate news, frankly, we are more equal. We should be held to lofty standards.

Journalists are also chosen to award our society’s highest honors in entertainment, athletic achievement, and journalistic success amongst other prestigious awards. Only those that are trained in the science of objectivity should be allowed to make these decisions that can make or break a career or even determine who can earn incredible amounts of money. And when the MVP of the National League or the Academy Award is being announced, I want the San Francisco Chronicle’s baseball beat writer and the Los Angeles Times’ movie critic to have voted, not the basement blogger on MLB Gamecast or voters on imdb.com.

Whether it be a 3x5 card that fits in my wallet, a diploma that I can frame for my office wall or just a passing grade on a credential exam, I want it, and I think the industry would be better off.