Thank you, Donald Trump. Thank you for bring news back to the forefront of the minds of the American people, for revitalizing print newspapers at a time they were dying and for giving reporters an endless number of stories to cover.
Entering college, I had already decided that I wanted to get a degree in Journalism. I had a passion for writing and interviewing, and wanted to continue to put that to use going forward. However, there was always one question I could never answer when people asked me- What kind of journalism do you want to do? The truth was that I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my degree. I wanted to go into print because I loved writing, but I knew that the world was changing, and broadcast was becoming much more popular.
However, the 2016 presidential election changed all of that. As I watched Donald Trump constantly attack reporters and newspapers and defame their work, I grew increasingly frustrated at what I saw happening. Just under a year ago Trump made a direct attack on the press when he tweeted, “Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. It is frankly disgusting the press is able to write what it wants to write.”
From then on, I knew I wanted to go into print journalism. With print, what I write doesn’t “disappear.” The video segment doesn’t disappear or move on to the next, and what I write isn’t part of some larger piece. It is an individual, as am I.
Since Jan. 1 2017, the New York Times has gained 60,000 subscribers. The Washington Post has doubled the number of its digital subscribers since Jan. 1, 2017. Newspapers aren’t dying anymore, they’re beginning to gain traction again, and they’re gaining attention, all thanks to Trump.
The endless scandals, investigations, allegations and tweets are allowing the mainstream media to gain attention. American citizens are realizing that the news is that much more important now than it ever was before. There simply are not enough reporters to cover everything that is going on with the president, or in the world. His radical, unprecedented decisions and tactics are making for stories that are “juicier” than ever, and people are interested. Although he is trying to defame the media and kill the entire idea that is “investigative reporting,” he is doing just the opposite.
I used to be scared of my future after college. The chances of me finding a job were growing slimmer by the day, and it seemed that the digital age was phasing out written news. But now the opposite is happening. I understand that my role as a journalist is more crucial in society today than it ever has been before. If my colleagues and I won’t ask the tough questions, who will?