In my world, no morning is complete without a hot cup of coffee and the day’s newspaper. I suppose I’m old fashioned like that. Given the chance, I would prefer to read the news in hard copy to reading it on a laptop or a tablet.
My love of the print media has given me a large dose of reverence for the journalists who bring us the news.
The First Amendment to the Constitution is my favorite and is one of the most important amendments — especially the clause that guarantees the freedom of the press.
This freedom is the cornerstone of our democracy and is a large part of the commitment we make to preserve our collective rights and freedoms.
For those of us in the U.S., we are accustomed to a free press. In other parts of the world, journalists are not always so respected.
The International Press Institute released figures last week putting the number of journalists killed in the line of duty this year at 119, a record high.
The phrase “killed in the line of duty” seems foreign when not talking of soldiers or police officers. Perhaps this is because most other professions do not require such a high level of devotion as the military or police force.
For people in other jobs, they don’t usually bring work home with them outside of regular office hours. Their work is not usually necessary to keep the country up and running.
There are some jobs that require a higher level of devotion. The word “duty” certainly applies here.
The number of journalists killed in the line of duty may seem small in comparison to the tragic losses of life sustained in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While nothing can compare to the sacrifices our troops make every day to keep our country safe, our vision of reporting as a mostly sedentary and calm profession is entirely wrong when we consider how many journalists have been killed.
News organizations aren’t called “watchdog” for no reason: Journalists are as vital to a stable and free democracy as a police force is necessary for safe streets.
The killing of police officers is an incredibly serious offense and is treated with an appropriate level of outrage. But the murder of journalists usually does not garner much public sentiment, except perhaps in the case of Daniel Pearl, the journalist who was abducted and executed by al-Qaida in 2002.
This year, 36 reporters have been killed in the conflict in Syria. Sixteen reporters have died in Somalia. Seven have died in Indonesia, seven in Mexico, seven in Pakistan. Four journalists have died in Iraq.
We are often reminded in the course of warfare that freedoms ought not to be taken for granted. Freedom isn’t free.
Neither is the news.
Thank you to the reporters around the world bringing us the news and keeping us connected to the world.
Reach the columnist at @skthomas4@asu.edu or follow her at @SavannahKThomas
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