On Freedom and the Media

There is an undeniable social and ethical responsibility that comes with the status of public media figure: a person with a platform, a person capable of communicating with thousands at a time, a person who is trusted and who can tap into the rationale of the masses when they are at their most receptive.

Throughout my extensive career as a television host, motivational speaker, writer, and producer, I have given this matter a lot of thought, contemplating it as I went along and expanded my reach. I have built a career out of telling stories that people can get inspired by, learn from, and return to when they need to revisit the past. The question that arises after years of doing this job is inevitable: When the public lends you their ear, their trust, and their attention, what do you say? How do you say it? And how do you play your part in a landscape where sensationalism overrides accuracy and personal agendas supersedes public interest?

For a very long time I have maintained that freedom of expression, like all freedoms, comes with the burden of responsibility. This responsibility falls upon the shoulders of everyone with an opinion, but even more so upon the shoulders of the influential. Journalists, media personalities and people in power should be aware of the impact of the words they choose. We can all express ourselves freely, but that does not exonerate us from bearing the consequences of the fact. Especially given the speed at which our words reach our audience nowadays. Social media have changed the rules of the game: posts are shared and go viral in the blink of an eye, statements are made on impulse and responses spit out with a flair for the theatrical. And I persist, tweet after tweet, post after post, in informing my followers of the stories that matter and conveying my opinion on the day’s news items while staying transparent and respectful of everyone. To me, critical thinking does not in the least align with the era’s trend to lash out, insult, discredit, and throw around blame.

I thus maintain that the job of good, responsible media is to find the stories untold, the voices of minorities, and the plight of victims and to make them heard, loud and clear, by everyone. Even more so during these trying times when the precarious equilibrium of healthcare systems and social welfare, as well as economic and political stability is at stake on both locally and internationally.

As media professionals we do not just have a responsibility to be careful about what we say, we have a duty to say what needs to be said. To say that which, in most cases, remains stifled and hidden. For instance, when a person in power uses their privilege to harm a minority, a victim, then they’re being oppressive. the answer to this question lies in being aware of the difference between opinions and violence.

Ethical journalism means offering an equal platform to everyone and to seek the truth in all its forms. We have a duty to tell the real story, the objective story, and to tell it as freely and as responsibly as we can.

On International Press day, one cannot emphasize enough the importance of the responsibility we as journalists bear in insuring each person is being heard and well informed. Such practices are even more important today than they ever were before, in an era that many have labeled as post-truth. It is a label I disagree with. The truth is still out there, and it is our jobs to seek it vigilantly.

Twitter: @RicardoRKaram