Journalism is not for the birds, which is why powerful people are waging a war on truth
In Brussels recently, I went in search of the “soldier pigeon” monument, which commemorates the carrier pigeons that served as messengers during World War 1. Veteran Italian journalist Maria Laura Franciosi, who produced a guidebook for journalists to the European capital, told me about the significance of this rare, nonhuman war memorial.
Julius Caesar was apparently the first to use homing pigeons, to send messages back to Rome during the invasion of Gaul from 58BC to 51BC.
During the 19th century, a pioneer of telegraphy and news reporting, Paul Julius Freiherr von Reuter, used pigeons to carry stock-exchange information between the Belgian capital and Aachen in Germany. He is the founder of Reuters News Agency, now the media conglomerate Thomson Reuters.
During World War 1, more than 20,000 pigeons and their handlers were killed by enemy forces. As purveyors of information, they were seen as legitimate targets.
In this dark time for journalists around the world, I decided to see this monument to the forbearers of news distribution, the messengers who were literally shot, and perhaps find some greater meaning for what we do.
When I got off at the Saint Catherine station, however, I found a sprawling Christmas market and could not locate the monument among the stalls, festive light displays and funfair.
It could have been behind one of the many gluhwein bars where I did my bit to promote international relations.
The locals at the bar were confused about what I was looking for and I caused some mirth trying to demonstrate a pigeon flying. When one of them tried to catch an actual bird, I decided to give up the search. Clearly the pigeon soldier is not a major conversation point in Brussels.
I later realised that the expedition was futile, not because of the distractions and the festive spirit aggravating the language barrier, but because it is not possible to find validation for the difficult job of reporting on this tumultuous era in a statue dedicated to birds killed a century ago.
Populism, disinformation, politics without rationality or ideology, and economic uncertainty are creating disarray in the world order. Information warfare is becoming the most powerful and effective form of combat.
Social media is a weapon of war, perhaps more lethal than military firepower as it is able to turn people on each other and create fear and enmity.
The media is undergoing a massive stress test with interrogation of our role and credibility, and unprecedented attacks on journalists.
At least 53 journalists were killed this year in the line of duty. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 34 were singled out for murder.
We are a deeply flawed industry, but journalists around the world are withstanding the heat to be able to tell the stories of our time.
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has launched a campaign called “It Takes a Journalist” to highlight the vital role the media plays in society. The campaign underscores that the role of journalists is not merely to relate events as they unfold and quote sound bites, as seems to be the expectation of some politicians and their Twitter mobs; it is upholding the rights of people, constitutionality and democracy.
This requires in-depth understanding of the social condition and impacting forces on society, as well as constant vigilance, particularly over the activities of elected representatives.
Exposing corruption and abuses of positions of power, therefore, is not something journalists choose to do out of malice, as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Julius Malema would have their supporters believe.
When democracy is under threat, as it is in many parts of the world, the media cannot ignore the fact that powerful people are using dark arts to influence society towards certain agendas.
Troll farms, data mining, fear-mongering and psychological manipulation have been used successfully in other parts of the world to influence voting patterns and there is no doubt that the weaponisation of information will be a major factor in SA’s sixth national election.
It will have a bearing on who rules the country, the incoming government’s agenda and public discourse for the foreseeable future.
The ICFJ’s campaign highlights how journalists have impacted on events in their countries. Maria Ressa was attacked by the Philippines government after her online news site, Rappler, exposed tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings in the country’s drug war. In Venezuela, investigative reporters had to flee after they uncovered how a well-connected businessman exploited a food programme.
Journalists’ reports led to fake medicines being pulled from pharmacy shelves in Kenya, to landmines being removed at the border of Venezuela and Colombia, and to changes in the law to protect women in Pakistan, the ICFJ says.
In SA, journalists took a stance against state capture and shattered its epicentre.
We are in fact not pigeons carrying messages. We provide knowledge, interpret what is going on around us, ask necessary questions and make sure you see what others do not want you to.
That is the reason for the war on truth.