Monday, October 26, 2009

You want my opinion? Well maybe I just don't have one for you this time

Being a student of Journalism at this Rhodes University definitely has its perks, especially considering the fact that it has one of the most acclaimed journalism schools in the country. But, on the other hand studying journalism also gives you a certain ‘image’ that you need to uphold, or one that you are obliged to sustain… in every situation.

A lot of people have this idea that all journalists, whether well-established or still studying journalists, are pigheaded, nosey people whose main aim in life is to rip open any potential news ideas and exploit them for their own gain as a journalist. What they seem to forget is that not all journalists are writing to further their own careers; some journalists are writing because it is what they love to do and because they know that in this way, they can make a difference.

In the same light, a lot of people feel that journalists and journalism students have to have a strong knowledge and opinion about everything that is going on in the news or even just everyday issues that people talk about. Just because I am studying how to become a journalist doesn’t mean that every topic enthralls me into going on a tangent and making my opinion well known. Maybe, just maybe, I don’t have an opinion on absolutely everything.

So please, next time you ask one of your journalist friends for their outlook on the situation, don’t be alarmed if they snap at you and walk away. Sometimes, they just don’t want to think: They just want to listen.

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