Journalists would be wrong if they allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by a feeling of failure and discredit in their profession. I assume they perceive that this attack is part of a plan to destroy the importance of their profession. There are political platforms that, tired of the critical function of journalism, have decided to fight it in the crudest way, producing replacement journalists who would tarnish the public henhouse. During the surreal trial of the State Attorney General, we heard a political advisor introduce himself as a journalist to say that he could therefore be lying. It’s not true, his lie was not journalistic but political, a pure action of attack and ceremony of confusion. Comparing journalism to the notary profession and maintaining that in the latter you never lie, he went further. Notaries, like journalists, are mostly honest people, but some are also known to turn a blind eye to dirty money purchases and witness dirty transactions without honoring their position as a legal supervisor. Indeed, there is not a single profession in the world that is not exposed to people who behave unworthy of their profession. Nothing guarantees that priests or doctors, police officers or artists are all honest and trustworthy.
Seeing journalists surrender to this manipulated state of opinion about their profession only shows that we need professionals with solidity and their own criteria. Not even the popular explosion of social networks has emptied journalism of its meaning as some think. Nine out of ten posts in these somewhat overrated digital forums make direct reference to news and events brought to light by conventional journalism. Just as the television or radio news schedule often responds to the traditional press review done in the morning. And it is natural that this is the case, because journalism is more than ever on the front line. A few weeks ago we witnessed the case of an 87-year-old woman who was evicted from her apartment on Sainz de Baranda street in Madrid. After having tried in every way to stop her expulsion, after having resorted to social services and municipal guarantees, this courageous and tenacious woman decided to turn to journalists. After a series of articles and information, the eviction was stopped due to popular pressure and institutional shame.
You might say that journalism is useless and abject, but go ask that defenseless woman if it did any good. Journalism offered him the last opportunity simply by doing the informant’s job well: bringing to light what is hidden. This is why in Gaza the first thing Netanyahu banned before massacring thousands of innocent people was the entry of independent journalists and Trump expelled them from state institutions as every authoritarian leader demands. Lying is traditionally part of power strategy, social discourse, business results and even business measurement, which is why we all need the annoying, sniffy, suspicious professional. Their annoying activity will be fought in every possible way. The simplest is social discredit. It is not easy for people who are not pure and virgins to present themselves as essential. Only the tenacious performance of one’s work will help one to assert oneself. They would be foolish to allow themselves to be depressed by the enemy.
