Heavy gear worn with sacrifice and commitment, weapons with everlasting life-saving capabilities, uniforms sewn with honor and bravery and a presence that emits an interminable strength — these words illustrate the ideal of a soldier. What they do not do, however, is define who that soldier is and what that soldier does to win a battle. Soldiers are individuals who are willing to put their lives on the line for the benefit of others — regardless of whether they are fighting on the battlefield or behind a notebook and pen.
Journalists carry video and audio equipment; they use their pens to report the latest local, national and international news; they wear attire that is not always the most comfortable; and they leave their loved ones behind to travel and gather and report facts so that communities around the world can learn what is happening worldwide and work together to help the people who are in most need.
In the world of higher education, people often think of the science and technology-based fields as the most difficult career paths because of the extensive time consumed by studying, memorization and dedication they require. The truth is, however, that while those paths require a great deal of commitment, they are not the only difficult paths leading to a profession established to assist in the evolution of the world.
Journalism is more than a field of expertise and a passion for writing and investigating factual material; it is a lifelong commitment. It is a commitment to not just staying up-to-date on world news but to mentally preparing yourself for reporting on that news straight from the source. Textbooks may be able to explain the procedure for using a camera or writing the lead for a story, but it is impossible for them to prepare someone for reporting a story while bombs are exploding, people are falling and dust is filling the air behind them. The commitment to being a journalist is a promise to report the facts despite what the cost may be and an assurance to the world that civil unrest can be changed if people are willing to take a risk.
Unfortunately, with great reporting comes great risk and the cost for some journalists is their lives. According to the International Press Institute, 120 journalists and media personnel were murdered in 2013 and 51 have already been murdered in 2014, including American journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, who were beheaded.
Sotloff and Foley were publicly beheaded by militants from the Islamist terrorist group ISIS while they were in Syria reporting on the terrorists’ takeover of Syrian and Iraqi land. Despite the danger they were faced with, the two men made the heroic decision to travel there and put their lives at risk to report on the conflict. They recognized that the people in the Middle East needed help and volunteered to report what was really happening. With the multiple videos being released by ISIS that show the beheadings and the comment that “fighting has just begun,” it is crucial that the world has a team of people stay on top of what is happening.
Without Foley and Sotloff’s commitment, the general population would be clueless as to how bad the civil war in Syria is and would not understand why governments across the world are collaborating and dedicating their resources to helping the Middle East fight ISIS.
Those two men, along with other journalists, are the advocates for human rights, the voices for the voiceless and the bridges that connect communities to establish global unity. Without the commitment journalists make to their duties, the public would be blind to what is happening around the world. The journalism field is about publishing articles and investigations so that people outside that profession can learn about other parts of the world without having to travel or put their lives on the line to do so.
Sotloff and Foley, along with many other journalists, have utilized their soldier-like qualities to prove that individuals can make a difference in the world through commitment, honor, strength and bravery.
Gandhi said to “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” and journalists are the soldiers that follow this command. Change does not happen overnight, but it does happen when people are willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good of mankind. Some may choose to fight with their hands, but journalists choose to fight with their words.
