MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

The town that I am currently working in is Grahamstown, a small town in the Eastern Cape mainly known as the City of Saints. A large part of Grahamstown’s wealth is supplied by Rhodes University even though Rhodes students tend to isolate themselves from the wider Grahamstown. This town has got a rich cultural history for all races and one can see the scars of apartheid. Most black people are still living in shacks or in small RDP houses. There is also still a wide gap between the haves and the have-nots. It is also known for having some of the best learning institutions and attractions such as the National Arts Festival, Scifest Africa and Highway Africa which attract people from all walks of life to this small town.


Considering the nature of this town I think that in telling its stories one should be careful of allowing objectivity stand in the way of quality reporting. I personally feel that objectivity is an important aspect of any journalism be it audio, visual or print. Just like each and every other workplace has its ethics and ways of doing things, journalists must also follow a particular work ethic and I think that without objectivity journalism cannot be regarded as a profession because then everyone would just write or produce news articles in which ever and whatever way they want. I believe that objectivity is what differentiates a journalist from any other writer who probably writes for leisure. A journalistic article should be determined by sources instead of the journalist. One may argue that objectivity can never be fully achieved and I totally agree with that. There will always be some sort of bias in a story but objectivity is something that all journalists should strive for.
I think that the stories that need to be told in this town are those of resilience. People tend to focus on the sad part of Grahamstown’s community and all its failures. I think that there are some very strong people in Grahamstown, people who have made a life out of nothing, people who live under aggravating circumstances but still wake up each day and live life to the fullest with the hope that tomorrow will be a much better day. And I think that these people should be acknowledged, supported and encouraged to do even more. Other stories that could also be told are those of community outreach projects, stories that will serve the role of bridging the gap between the haves and the have-nots and create an understanding between these parties.