The Word is journalism, and it’s been there since biblical times
The need for news will not die as long as human beings still exist
So, sir, what do you think is the future of journalism?
It’s a question that’s been thrown at me ad nauseam by both highly educated individuals and members of the hoi polloi, who happen to know that I am a journalist.
It’s a question I’ve answered so many times that the next time someone throws it at me, please dear reader, don’t be surprised when, the following day, the tabloids have this screaming headline: “Top author and journalist in murder rap.”
It’s an annoyingly naïve question because it assumes that journalism is under siege. I think the mistake many people make is to equate the printed newspapers or magazines with journalism. Those platforms – hard copy magazines and newspapers – are merely trays on which the food is served. In this analogy, the food is the information.
In biblical times, journalism came in the form of tablets. Tablets were flattened rocks, with information (news) inscribed on them, which God delivered to the likes of Moses so they could share with their fellow human beings.
God was the source, Abraham (or whichever holy man had been chosen by God) was the journalist, and the message on that piece of rock was journalism. Over the years, the tablet made way for papyrus. Later still, this made way for paper. That sharp piece of rock that had been used to carve messages on the face of the tablet, made way for the quill. The quill was later replaced by the pen.
Later still, the pen got replaced by Gutenberg’s printing press, which later evolved into a typewriter, which gave birth to a personal computer, which gave birth to all the gadgets we have today ...
The common thread that runs through all these gadgets is: The Word. The Word is journalism. Journalism can be printed, it can be broadcast on TV or radio, it can be transmitted through pictures.
Which brings us to my simple summation: for as long as there are human beings on earth, journalism will not only continue to exist, it will thrive. The printed paper, like the tablet of biblical times, might disappear. But The Word will persist.
Many of you are reading this column from phones, which was unheard of just 10 years ago. The medium might change, but the message remains the same.
If anything, never before has journalism had a brighter future. The collapse of dictatorships in the Arab world and elsewhere has been facilitated by the quick dissemination of information. But of course we also binge on information, to our detriment.
There are people who show symptoms of illness if taken away from their electronic gadgets for just a few hours.
Like true information junkies, we want it now. A desperate junkie, suffering from withdrawal, will sometimes knowingly consume rat poison if in that mishmash of poison there are fragments of cocaine.
Today’s consumer of information is that impatient. Only when she’s slaked her thirst, will she pause and think: “But is that true?”
By the time she has this epiphany, it will be too late. She would have read, internalised and shared the nugget of information. There is an insatiable urge to be the first to capture and share a newsy tidbit, with no regard to its accuracy and provenance.
The challenge now is for media owners to keep pace with technological developments. While they’re at it, they need to sensitise their techno-savvy but ethically challenged journos to the basic rules of journalism – accuracy, balance and relevance.
And while they educate and do all the worthy things, they must be highly entertaining. A challenge, I admit, but not an insurmountable one. Oh, for the sake of The Word. The beautiful Word.