Maisha Islam Monamee
Amidst this world of deafening noise.
I am a soft cry waiting for an agnise.
They say my pen is mightier than a sword.
And thus my freedom of expression cannot be barred.
I am responsible for disclosing many mysteries.
And also force the corruption to cease.
My voice introduces my identity.
My questions form a part of my entity.
I am wanderlust with a mic in hand.
My stories travel from land to land.
I am a reporter who gets you daily news.
Beating the blazing heat and weather hues.
I work day and night to gather information.
That is my selfless contribution to the nation.
Now they need to hear what I want to say.
After all, a responsible press works that way.
With people running down streets with a mic in their hand, editing hundreds of stories for the newspaper, and reading out the latest updates on the pandemic, economy, politics, and whatnot, you surely cannot imagine a world without them. Yet, their selfless contribution is often unnoticed, and these brave warriors are therefore regarded as the unsung heroes of our society.
With a sneak peek into the world of journalism, I can surely say that it is not the most fascinating place to spend the rest of your life. Quite usually, journalists are not your favourite people and the newspaper is not what you’d prefer to read on a warm evening while sipping some good brewed coffee from your favourite mug. Despite all of this, you are subtly told about the importance of its existence as you get mad at the vendor for not delivering your newspaper on time. You are reminded about its necessity as you switch on the TV, click on news channels, and browse through the recent happenings around the world. You also like, and perhaps subscribe, to online news portals to keep yourself updated. As always, journalism never entertains you, but in its absence you feel a void that’s impossible to fill.
While working as a youth journalist, I have learnt a lot of things. Every little experience of this journey has enlightened me by challenging my knowledge about things and forcing me to think differently. The part that I love the most is the fact that through the advent of my work I get to meet some of the most amazing young people, who are working hard to leave behind a difference, irrespective of the magnitude it may possess. Be it a social entrepreneur or a foundation working for the welfare of underprivileged children, I have delicately crafted everyone’s stories in perfect bunches of words and shared them with the audience that loves to hear our conversations.The fact that my work has an impact and can inspire people of this generation to think out of box and create positive changes fills my soul with the utmost happiness.
Young people are the most important section of a population. With the future of this nation being held in our fragile hands, I believe that together we can ensure that it is a better one. Journalism, as I have seen it, is not about just stating facts or writing opinions — it revolves around contemplating a mixture of thoughts and a million questions; it is dedicated to generating positive thinking and is undoubtedly one of the best forms of self-expression.
Many people say that journalism has little to no space for creativity. But, in the course of my work, I have learnt to embrace creativity to the fullest. I have witnessed creative people steal the show with their tricks and have seen even more creative journalists throwing questions that must be answered. Journalism isn’t fiction, but the possibilities you can explore are indefinite. You can create your own character and present it to the world as a superhero that fights evil.
The main difference lies in the fact that fiction is cooked up by your imagination, while heroes presented in the news are real people, they exist to fight real problems. What’s more? In fiction, you have to ponder over the superpowers of the villain, but in the newsroom, heroes address social villains — that takes less time to create stories. In the end, fictional stories get popular due to plot twists while news stories shine because of people’s good deeds. Fiction writers get popular and keep writing more stories, and journalists also keep pouring in fresh stories regularly but unfortunately, they are not amongst the popular people.
I have often heard people say that news articles have no space for personal thoughts. While this is partially true, my conscience constrains me to question the source of news stories. Don’t reporters write about things they can strongly connect to? Aren’t the questions asked on TV framed by reporters? While debating between what is wrong and what isn’t, don’t reporters reinforce their opinions? And lastly, don’t we all love to browse through the Editorial page of daily newspapers?
There are uncountable ways which set each reporter and each story separate. Everything from the tone of the writeup to the audience the writeup is being addressed to, is unique to each story. Personal touches in news stories can be added in a number of ways. From the questioning to the presenting, everything can be easily personalised according to the choice of the audience. Mostly subtle, these small garnishes can be distinguished in all stories, if you are careful enough to identify them.
Lastly, I have heard people say that this field does not hold many opportunities. With young people ruling over almost all other sectors, what makes journalism an exception? If the youth can develop startups and remain compassionate, what makes you ponder over their opportunities in this case? Today’s youth has more power than ever before, it is informed about the right things and possesses a zeal to make things better. This youth is empowered by the assets of technology, it is free to explore the world and leave behind its impact. You might not appreciate their capabilities as of now, but in the near future, the youth shall roar over this sector as well.
The writer is a part of the TDA Editorial Team.