One Story that Challenges any Definition of New Journalism

There’s an argument to be had about who is a journalist, separating professionals from activists, citizen journalists, trolls and fakers, and nuisances. Separating the pros from the rabble will help build trust in journalism.

We can't base a definition on 'employed by an established publisher' because journalists are now scattered onto multiple platforms.

It will be hard too, if the definition is based on accurate and compelling story telling, because on social media there is some amazing non-journalist content. The below excerpt is the best I have read on any fires I can remember, breaking all Grammarly's rules but capturing the fear and chaos during the Malibu fires, written by actor, Frankie Ray:

“They just let it burn .I thought, as the half hour i had to get ready and fill the garbage cans up with water staging around the house. The planes Will come, the trucks will be here any moment. I stood for 10 min frozen on the roof. Watching this thing 3 miles wide come down the canyon. Thats a long time to think. There is a perverted facination, mixed with grave fear as you wait for its hunger to arrive.i would rather drown than burn. Be shot.not burn . Make good choices Frankie Ray make good choices. Then the first wall of 60 ft flames hit.

"On top of the house two hoses in hand in motercycle leather goggles,scuba tank on back 30 min of air. Was ready. The wall of flame that went over me was like nothing i ever imagined. I dropped covering my head a freight train sound and the heat was indescribable. I put the hose above me, watched the water evaporate into thin air. Felt the heat burn my hand, Saw its face. It saw me, it told me to run. I stayed, the wall passed. I put out the flair ups. The wall of sparks hit. I was good. Things died down it was over. Fuck me i made it. Then i saw a wall of flame comming down the road from the east from Kanan dume road. It had flanked me. That was my only exit. I thought about making a stand knowing i could run to the open area of the property. My back was screaming from the 70 lbs of scuba and leather,climbing up and down the ladder, my courage failed. I crawled to the south side of the roof where I staged the escape ladder as I reached it, the day light ran from me, even it wanted nothing to do with this next beast. The wall of black smoke hit. I scampered down the ladder thinking my heart would explode. I could see nothing, from memory went down the hill arround my 33 ft rv up the circular drive to my staged scooter, key in ready. I thought it may not start not alot of air just black smoke. I thought yea, its not the flame that kills you its the smoke. The fire just sends you back to the Earth. I remember thinking as I entered the property to set up to defend that I was going to make good choices, adult choices. I said to myself through my mask Frankie you didn't make good choices I hit the start button on the scooter and to my amazement it fired up I jumped on from memory drove through the dark smoke up the driveway and out toward the wall of flames at the top of the driveway were three men fighting, the fire no mask snow goggles I stopped and gave some of them air from my scuba tank. and said guys we got to go, as we drove away and ran away two guys on each side of me with the extra Regulators breathing air I never felt like such a coward in my whole life I had failed, I look the beast in the eye and I flinched, it won and ate the house, but mother fucker you didn't get me. I knew at that moment that it would take the whole neighborhood that everything was lost.no trucks no fire men, no drops. I felt abandoned. I went down to Point Dume by the gas station and stood by the wall trying to collect myself and then walked across the street and up the hill and then I saw the horses trapped in their Corral, the flames approaching, that mother fucker wasn't going to get them I either. Two young men came up and I said the horses were trapped, they pointed up to the other side of the mountain and said that's my house burning I pointed to the smoke in the sky and said all my s***'s up there, let's go get the horses, so we went up, broke down the fence they were two very large horses followed by three Burros miniature Burros these horses were very spooked I led them down the hill and up the other side thinking how extremely close they were to my body but they remained calm. I got them out I felt good about that , that's when they tried to Stampede the exit and get out on the PCH I ran over to the film crew and asked if they had rope that's when they did the interview as I turned around some Men were tying up some rope for us. Having had a little Victory with the horses my courage was back. so I drove back up Cavalleri to see if I could do anything and the wall of flames was too much I left and went down to Paradise Cove and sat for a while talk to a lady who lived there as the Flames came acrossed and consumed Miley Cyrus's house I stayed for as long as I could and then went down and took Topanga back over to the valley to North Hollywood to my Tree and puppies. feeling like a complete failure I knew all was lost up Cavalleri in Malibu I tried to console myself saying I had tried. I've always found trying is a useless Endeavor, you do or you don't. it took me a couple of days to get my brain right i was just so tired. as I said before, it changed me, something in me changed and now I wanted to tell you how my Friday was. That was my Friday the day Malibu died"