J'ai fait le ménage de mes disquettes (oui disquettes) et j'ai fait la découverte de mes vieux travaux d'université bien sûr, mais de Cégep aussi! Certains le savent, et d'autres non, mais j'ai longtemps voulu être journaliste ( et bien d'autres choses d'ailleurs). Étrange quand même que je me délecte de publicités aujourd'hui, moi qui rêvais de faits et de vérité j'ai choisi de me cacher dans la consommation. Bon, je sais vous direz que je suis soft dans cette démarche là, mais quand même j'ai un peu changé :) J'ai retrouvé un texte qui faisait état de mes pires craintes dans le métier que je souhaitais exercer (journaliste) et qui représente tout à fait mon sentiment d'ambiguïté face à notre société, un véritable conflit éthique intérieur. Ne sommes-nous pas tous un peu en conflit éthique? Que ce soit pour choisir le produit le moins cher ou le bio-vert, ou pour simplement choisir de ne pas acheter le Journal de Montréal mais être quand même abonné à Vidéotron parce qu'y a pas beaucoup d'autres choix... Choisir de ne pas acheter du Made in India parce que les indiens sont sous-payés ou les encourager parce que au final c'est leur seul chance de travailler? Je crois que le sujet est tout à fait d'actualité. Je précise quand même que c'était une fiction, et que tout cela a été écrit en 2001. C'est l'année après le www, les élections de Bush et l'achat de Unimedia par Power Corporation. C'est l'année du World Trade Center, du Sommet des Amériques à Québec, et de l'achat de TVA par Québécor.
Vous m'excuserez, le texte est en anglais, mais souvenez-vous je suis allée à Champlain.
If I was a journalist- my ethical conflicts
When I began in the Journalist’s school, I was full of hopes. I wanted to change the world. I knew that it would be hard, but I strongly believed in the power of journalism. In my heart, there were so many things that I wanted to denounce. Since I finished at school, I realize that things are not that simple. My frustration is even larger vis-a-vis ignorance. I surprise myself to hate my young days for having been so naive. It is quite obvious that I cannot change the world. As a journalist, my role is to inform the public. The problem is that the public does not have the right to know all the truth. What’s also discouraging is that I am a part of that public. I really feel stupid doing my work. Things are hidden to me and I hide more to the people I always wanted to serve. This is now a business. All the media are concentrated in few big companies. The real owner of the newspaper for which I work is so much far from me in this pyramid that he does not even know that I work for him. However, it is him who decides what I write.
With the globalization, the journalism is compromised. We are not allowed to practice our right of free press. I could never have imagined all that the word media includes. There are so many elements to which we must force ourselves. I am a bit lost. I don’t understand how we arrived at that point. Journalists are now dependant of advertisers. They pay for our writings, but it is not normal to let them decide what we should present. Of course, they don’t want to be represented by people who denounce corruption they also pay for. I really think that all the businessmen of the world are abusing of their power. Why are we so obsessed by money? I would never understand. It is so frustrating. When I cover important news, I don’t want those people to interfere in my writings. I am always amazed to see how they can filter a text to change the meaning. There are not only the advertisers who do that, the owner of my newspaper also do. I won’t reveal his name, but he bought his media kingdom without having any kind of skills in the media world. Now he owns more than 120 millions of readers in America. He owns more than that in the other mediums. The government also helps him to interfere in our news. I have to promote political party in which I have any trust. It is all lies. How can I appreciate my work when lies are signed by me? In a certain way I contribute to the brainwash of society. Why am I staying there? I don’t know. I guess it is because I still believe in my profession.
My worst fear in all this business is the exclusion of our voices. All the communities are reduced to silence. It is hard to realize that your words won’t change anything. Today, media is promoting commercial and political purposes instead of the public opinion. We are supposed to be in a democratic society. The essence of journalism was to assure this democratic view, but we don’t protect the community rights anymore. We are creating a common view instead of opinion. The government, the advertisers and the businessmen are controlling everything. They are corrupting us. I would like to stop it. My only goal will always be the same. I want to make our voices louder. Am I the only one to see that there is something wrong? Why it is so hard to react? Everyday of my life I feel discourage about this situation. I don’t thing that we are dumb, but I think that we must do something. Wake up people! Humanity is more than what we are living now. We can be proud of so many things. Why are we letting this globalization eating our mind? They are acting against humanity. With their money, they create needs, values, and opinions. GOD created us as beautiful, intelligent, and responsible as he could, but he let us free. HE believed that we should know how to develop ourselves. HE believed in us. Don’t you think that we are going against HIM? I think we are, because this globalization is taking the place of GOD. We lost our way.
Don’t read the newspaper anymore! No, I want you to read me, but try to read in my head. This is really demanding, I know, but I really want you people to read between the lines. Your understanding of the news is so important for our future. I hope you will be aware of what’s going on. I will continue my work in my newspaper full of lies, but I will never change my mind. I think that I am still naive, and it hurts. It really hurts to see people abusing of others. It hurts to see that your own voice is as small as a sand grain in the desert. It hurts to be reduced to a simple image of what you should be.