Participation

Jon Krakauer went on the Everest expedition as a paid observer for a magazine. This is called “participatory journalism,” and it can be quite dangerous. What do you think the job of a journalist is or should be? What challenges might a journalist face who writes about an event in which he or she is also a participant? Where do you draw the line between being an observer—outside the event—and being a participant—inside the event? How does a journalist deal with events such as disasters without becoming emotionally involved?

 According to my old social studies teacher, the job of a journalist is to investigate events, ideas, and trends and relay that information to the public. Dangers are sometimes associated with investigating such issues, but in my opinion despite these hazards a journalist should persevere in obtaining information for the sake of public knowledge. When dealing with international issues, war zones, or human rights violations, I believe in this doctrine 100% (speaking of which, journalists probably need to be paid more). Challenges vary depending on the assignment at hand. A journalist may battle against natural events, face opposition from humans, or both. As a participatory journalist, there may be severe consequences. The journalist may be untrained or under-trained to handle a fragile situation, may be caught inside a violent situation, or may be poorly-equipped for life-threatening situations.

To be a participant of the event, one must take on a role within the conflict. They are to take part in whatever situation they are reporting on. Krakauer, for example, is a participatory journalist as he was part of the expedition. An observer journalist would be like a photographic journalist who takes pictures from the sidelines without getting directly involved with the situation.

Journalists need to train themselves not to give in too much to empathy. Some journalists take part in observing and recording immense suffering around the world, and if they give themselves over to the grief it could most likely result in negative consequences. The army achieves this by dehumanizing targets; journalists most likely do not do this, as a job of a journalist is to stay humane, clear-minded, and passionate. They must, however, have hope and faith. Possible many find comfort knowing that the information they bring back can be used to educate or prevent the current situation from occurring.