Should Journalists Receive Awards for Covering Hard News? My Thought Is No; I’ll Tell You Why
The Way Journalists Are Rewarded Needs to Change
When I worked in news, one of the strangest things to me was that people sought out awards for their coverage on topics that were deeply sorrowful, traumatic, and disturbing. I think journalists should receive something else for their hard work, especially when it comes to covering challenging topics. Let me explain.
I don’t think it’s particularly appropriate that after a mass shooting at the end of that rope is someone getting dressed up to the nines, put in a room with fellow people who covered the same topic or similar topics, and given a lavish banquet dinner and the chance to get up before the audience to give an acceptance speech. Not all awards for journalists work this way but many do. I feel like we’re losing the plot on the real issue that took place that caused the news coverage in the first place, and instead, we’re patting the backs of people who have more comfortable and established lives.
I find this current way of honoring journalists tacky, narcissistic, and neurotic. At these ceremonies, people are given the chance to network with fellow journalists and talk about their work from collapsed buildings, missing children, sunken ships, and…
