"Protect Journalists, `cause we're going to need them going forward"

"Protect Journalists, `cause we're going to need them going forward" - Meryl Streep Follow @merinews

10 January, 2017

I'm not talking about pen-pushers, political claques and propagandist - on payroll of powers de jure. Here I'm discussing about those who imbued and imbibed journalism as harbinger of truth, those who take to this profession with heart and soul. A true journalist always struggles to search for 'Truth' – without compromise. He tries to get his facts correct and accurate and passes it on to readers with the integrity of character. He is an intrepid fighter for reality check.

Every story has two sides and it is the responsibility of a journalist to be impartial. He must produce a balanced opinion – not laced with his own pride and predilections. With the honest approach he earns the well deserved trust and confidence of readers. If he is honest to his profession, he never acts formally or informally as a stooge to interests of political, corporate and religious chimeras. He is an independent voice.

He is accountable only to his dispassionate readers. Last, but not the least, he should be aware of the accrued sentimental outcome of his words and images he shares. He knows that it is much easier to be rich than a man of principles. When a writer scribes against his grain; against the truth and tries to obfuscate the reality with an axe to grind, he is putting his soul on sale.

One has to pay a price for his belief and an honest journalist is no exception. I felt a real shot of endorsement when I heard the speech of Meryl Streep which she delivered while accepting the 'Cecil B DeMille Award' - a lifetime achievement award. It is no secret that most of Hollywood is liberal and Streep is a well known face. She didn't say much about her career. Instead, she spoke about the current political climate and Donald Trump. She didn't mention the president-elect by name.

"Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence. When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose. OK, go on with that thing. OK, this brings me to the press. We need the principled press to hold power to account, to call them on the carpet for every outrage. That's why our founders enshrined the press and its freedoms in our constitution. So I only ask the famously well-heeled Hollywood foreign press and all of us in our community to join me in supporting the Committee to Protect Journalists, 'cause we're going to need them going forward and they'll need us to safeguard the truth,"

"Thank you, Hollywood Foreign Press. Just to pick up on what Hugh Laurie said, you and all of us in this room really belong to the most vilified segments of American society right now. Think about it: Hollywood, foreigners and the press,"

"There was one performance this year that stunned me. It sank its hooks in my heart, not because it was good, it was – there's nothing good about it. But it was effective and it did its job. It made its intended audience laugh and show their teeth,"

"It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter, someone he outranked in privilege and power and the capacity to fight back. It, it kind of broke my heart when I saw it and I still can't get it out my head because it wasn't in a movie. It was real life. And this instinct to humiliate when it's modeled by someone in the public platform, by someone powerful, it filters down into everybody's life because it kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing,"

"As my, as my friend, the dear departed Princess Leia, said to me once: "Take your broken heart, make it into art."

Thank you, Foreign Press.

She was referring to Trump's remarks during the campaign, when he appeared to mock New York Times reporter Serge F Kovaleski, who has 'arthrogryposis' which visibly limits the functioning of his joints.

Donald Trump responded about her comments in 'The New York Times" saying he had not seen the speech, but he dismissed Streep as "a Hillary lover" and said that he was "not surprised" to be attacked by "liberal movie people."

To conclude, if as a journalist, you follow the truth, you're not alone.

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