By
Sharon Platt
"The job of the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."
Finley Peter Dunne, American journalist, 1902
I like a good quote. A thought-provoking quote. One that will motivate me, question things, or make me chuckle. Sometimes I need a little reminder of what to do, even though I know perfectly well what I ought to be doing.
I came across this century-old saying a few days before taking a beginning news reporting course at the university last August. At the time, I thought it was rather harsh or too limiting.
After taking only a couple of journalism courses, I don't claim to be a pillar of wisdom on the matter, but I've gained a better insight. The metaphor is open for different interpretations, and if the saying isn't taken literally, it still has a place in journalism.
It's a strong reminder that a newspaper's first obligation is to the readers - not to government, business or itself. Comfort by informing, inspiring or assisting the "afflicted," and afflict the "comfortable" through questioning or investigating so that the truth is revealed.
That may sum it up, but who are the afflicted that need comforting? I initially thought of the working poor, physically or mentally ill, or other groups. They don't have the income, time, or the right or job title that demand the attention of those in authority.
According to Bobbie Jo Buel, managing editor of The Arizona Daily Star, "Day in and day out, it means stand up for the little guy, stand up for the individual."
Mark Kimble, associate editor of the Tucson Citizen, agreed.
Kimble's July 5 column centered on a small business owner, hit by Tucson Unified School District's proposed "fantasy" tax for the district's already high and questionable desegregation spending practices, is an example of representing the little guy. Kimble told how decisions made by those in power would burden the small business owner. TUSD school board's "fantasy" tax recently turned into reality, despite tough questioning by the two dailies, Tucson Weekly, and a lone school board member.
Who are the comfortable? I first thought of the wealthy, but the average citizen generally considered the afflicted, could also be the comfortable-the middle class. I'm one of them.
Like the wealthy, when everything is OK, I'm self-sufficient. I can become so wrapped up in the responsibilities of life that I fail to notice what's going on around me. Stories about the afflicted are a good reminder to keep me grounded so that I can remember that not everyone has entered this world on an equal footing.
Steve Elliott, The Associated Press bureau chief in Phoenix said, "It's fine to tell good stories, but the heart of good journalism is playing the watchdog role and informing the public so that they can make good decisions."
The Phoenix AP played the watchdog role when it revealed last year that the Arizona Department of Public Safety raised serious safety concerns with Bridgestone/Firestone in 1996, long before the scandal over mass tire failures. Even though DPS removed Firestone tires from its vehicles, the agency agreed not to alert the public to the dangers.
The comfortable are usually those in charge, but even they can become the afflicted if they are the targets of wrongdoing. For instance, a recently accused ex-F.B.I. agent compromised the bureau and U.S. security by spying for Moscow for over 15 years.
Do journalists agree with this saying, and is it applied in today's journalism?
Jim Johnson, a UA journalism professor, finds it "sort of a pompous attitude toward society's ills."
"It's one role, but not the entire one," he said. "The paper's role is to provide information that furthers the goal of a democracy, to provide people the truth."
Dunne's insight on a newspaper's job remains the same as 100 years ago
I agree with the quotation's philosophy: that a newspaper has a responsibility to look out for the public, rich or poor. It is in a good position to lead. It has the power to inform, to investigate, and even to influence public opinion. On its editorial pages, the paper is free to express its opinion, but on the news pages, it seeks to present the facts and balanced reporting.
To Kimble, a newspaper's meaning, "is important to strive for·it's something you keep in the back of your mind." And with that said, whatever type of writing I do, I plan to keep this saying in back of my mind too.
