Journalists are Superheroes

By Kirst Heilgendorff

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I’m pretty sure that I don’t stand alone when I say that there is more to life than simply studying, money and partying. Although all three are vitally important, some more than others, having only these three aspects of life to live for is well…ordinary. And personally, I think being ordinary is boring. And who would want to be part of a boring person’s life when there are so many vibrant, extraordinary people out there? (Unless you’re related to them in which case you have no choice in the matter.)

The coursework in this term’s Journalism class revolves around the idea that Journalism is a reflection of our lives, that our personality and emotions relate to our writing, that our writing can affect people and that people can change the world. This to me is the core reason of why I want to do Journalism. I am craving to live this extraordinary live and being a journalist can do just that. Being a journalist can make you into a Super Hero. Think about it, journalism gives us a tool to affect other people. Effectively, it can give us a tool to change the world.

What really grates my cheese though is that so many journalists are given all this power, yet they waste it on what I see as insignificant and trivial matters such as celebrities with cellulite. I don’t want to name certain magazines, although I’m sure you all know which ones I’m talking about, but some magazines are filled with what only constitutes as gossip and scandal. I do believe that there is a time and a place for such articles and that people do need a bit of cheering up once in a while considering that sometimes all we seem to hear is the dreary news on the seven o clock news channels. I feel, however, that we need more Maddy Bowens in this world and yes, I am referring to the fictional journalist in Blood Diamond. To me, this character fully depicts the potential that all journalists have to radically make a mark in situations and force change and transformations that need to occur. Maddy basically single handedly exposed the illicit diamond market and the lengths and torturous acts that people would go through to attain them. She was one women, who through journalism changed the lives of countless people.

The fact of the matter is, I know that I want to be extraordinary; I want to leave a mark, make a difference, change the world. The question is, do you?