The Free Press Clause claims that it “protects the right of individuals to express themselves through publication and dissemination of information, ideas and opinions without interference, constraint or prosecution by the government.”
Despite this clause, school reporters are being criticized by their administration if they write anything negative regarding the school or school events.
Last year my high school held its annual College and Career Fair, and I was the one to cover it. While writing my article, I found myself struggling immensely; not because I did not know what to say, but because I was worried about saying the wrong thing and my principal getting angry. Due to this, I wrote an article that was completely opposite of what I believed.
What is the point of going to an event, talking to people, and getting all the information, just to tell the opposite of what happened? People read articles to find out the truth, not some sugarcoated stuff that administration is theoretically writing. What is the point of having reporters if, even when they are “protected”, they have administrations and others controlling what they write?
Society is not satisfied with just basic coverage; they want all access to everything. However, all access is not easy to achieve as a reporter. In Syria, foreign journalists are expelled from the country, making it harder to get in-depth coverage. Many journalists have turned to the military to get their information. No, they do not just join the military so that they can get the latest news; but they do attach themselves with military units and go to the battle zones with them. That’s ridiculous. These reporters did not sign up for war, they signed up to write about it.
Many of the reporters going into war zones are freelancers, which means they are not attached completely to a media outlet. Usually freelancers are young reporters who are inexperienced and trying to get their “big break”. However, there is a law protecting journalists internationally. The Geneva Convention states that journalists are to be treated as civilians in war times, and killing them is considered a war crime.
Despite the Geneva Convention “protecting” them, there is no reason that these reporters need to risk their lives in these war zones just to give insight on what is going on. If you want to know information that bad, then you risk your own life, not someone else’s.
It’s also not only war zones that journalists are at a risk. On August 26, 2015 Alison Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward were killed while on air in Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. Shooter Vester Lee Flanagan II also known as Bryce Williams, posted details about the shooting prior, and posted the video of the shooting that he recorded on his own camera.
Although I know the risks that accompany a journalist, that is what I aim to be, although on a less risky level at sports reporting. It is still a scary thought thinking that people like me are being killed over what they are reporting. As long as crime and wars are going on, these killings will be continued.
