The Story that Changed Everything

By Annamaria Enenajor

The news media is often critiqued for their coverage of captivating and infamous events around the world. More often than written text, the powerful visual images that are captured enrage a sensitive public already on edge. Lobby groups, for example, have been know to call for censorship of photographic and video images. To them these images represent an irresponsible use of freedom. There is another side of this “responsibility” coin, however, that is rarely ever examined. With so much attention on the wrongs that have been committed by potentially unethical journalism, focus is removed from the rights that have been omitted.

The written word has the power to launch revolutions, start reformations, spark critical investigations and unite nations. Similarly, it has the power to inspire individuals. Its ability to move people into action in their local and global communities should not be underestimated. It was, in fact, the story of a young bonded labourer, Iqbal Masih, in a newspaper article that moved Canadian activist Craig Kielburger to start the international organization Free The Children. It was this story that stirred up the desire to work for change.

It can thus be argued that responsible journalism is not simply about accurately capturing the facts and practicing discretion when presenting images. There is a responsibility when sharing with the world a unique and complex story. It is about facing, with integrity, the challenge of conveying the humanity behind gripping headlines and images. As former Kansas State University Journalism student Patrice Holderbach states, “Writing for a newspaper is a science and an art that challenges journalists with each new assignment…the ever-changing juxtaposition of cultures, perspectives and conflicts is fascinating.” Thus, our criticisms of news media should pay attention to how the important dimension of telling a story is omitted in favour of quick and clever statements.

Annamaria Enenajor is doing her masters in forced migration at the Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford University. Hailing from Toronto, her areas of interest include the intersection of law and politics in the study of international migration. She loves to travel and hopes to apply her academic and volunteer experiences in the field of human rights work. This article was published on thestar.com in May 2007.

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.