Marie Colvin showed the world the true face of journalism

Today was a sad day for journalists everywhere following the deaths of Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin and French photojournalist Remi Ochlik. Their work represented the best in journalism and showed that there is still integrity among journalists.

In the era of Leveson and phone hacking it is far too easy to become cynical and tar all journalists with the same brush. But the truth is that it was a minority that carried out the hacking and employed various other nefarious methods to obtain information.

Indeed Colvin worked for a paper that is now under investigation for email hacking but this does not reflect upon her, in fact I am sure there are many who admire and aspire to be like her. In truth the majority of journalists do not engage in such practices. I think it is a slight upon the journalism profession that a goliath such as News Corp could be using means such as email or phone hacking to produce stories.

Perhaps more needs to be heard from the journalists out there who wish to report the news, who like Colvin and Ochlik wish to tell the stories of those who cannot. They gave a voice to the Syrian people and through their articles and photos showed to the world what was happening in the country. At the time of her death, Colvin was the only reporter from a British newspaper in Homs and her presence illustrates the danger but also her bravery as a journalist.

Another journalist who died in Syria was New York Times correspondent and two-times Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Shadid. He passed away last week after suffering an asthma attack. Shadid is yet another example of a journalist who sought simply to report. Colvin, Ochlik and Shadid were all exceptional journalists who chose to work in extraordinary situations.

Although the majority of British journalists are not sending dispatches from war torn regions where they are constantly in the line of fire, they too hold integrity. From the reporters covering beats on local papers to those at a national level most just write stories and gather news legitimately.

On top of this, we must not forget the vast scope of journalism. It is not just newspapers, it extends to radio, television and online. It is student, local, regional, national and international. It is consumer and it is trade. It is high quality, mid-market and tabloid. Within all of this there is a vast myriad of subjects that are covered, therefore to class all journalists as the same is inaccurate and wrong. If nothing else remember, Colvin, Ochlik and Shadid and remember their work and what they represent to the journalism industry.

The majority of those who have embarked on a career in journalism were more likely to have been inspired by the likes of Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Nick Davies, Robert Fisk and countless others rather than hacks who trawl through voicemails and bins for scraps.

Sadly, those who have ended up in this dubious line of so-called ‘journalism’ probably never wanted to hack phones or pilfer through the rubbish of celebrities but somewhere along the lines they lost their way. Possibly, they chose career success over all else, sacrificing morals for money. Just remember that they do not represent the majority of journalists.

Image credit: Getty Images

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