We Need Writers More Than Ever – Lovers Of Truth, Beauty & Goodness!

Filipino journalist Ellen Tordesillas shares the Facebook link above, saying "Ang galing naman ng writer na ito." This writer is very good.

The writer is American Jennifer Egan, who says in her article "We Need Writers Now More Than Ever. Our Democracy Depends On It" (11 December 2018, TIME, time.com):

We need to write now, write well – tell the truth in all its messy complexity. It's our best shot at helping to preserve a democracy in which facts still exist and all of us can speak freely.

Facts? Miss Jennifer says, "Online, lies and truth look the same." That I say is a very astute observation.

Our Miss Ellen is President of Vera Files; Miss Jennifer is President of PEN America and is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. They are talking of ethical journalism.

EJN says "The 5 Principles Of Ethical Journalism" (28 June 2019, Ethical Journalism Network, ethicaljournalismnetwork.org) are:

1.      Truth and Accuracy – "Getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism."

2.      Independence– "Journalists must be independent voices."

3.      Fairness & Impartiality – "Stories should be balanced and add context."

4.      Humanity– "Journalists should do no harm."

5.      Accountability– "When we commit errors we must correct them."

Let me grant that as a journalist, you have followed all those 5 principles of ethical journalism truly and without malice.

And now I say: Forget about those 5 principles of ethical journalism according to EJN! Because:

Quite ethical, still, your journalism may be award-winning but is not good enough!

As a self-styled journalist, I say, "Writers must write beyondthe truth."

To me, ethical is idealistic behavior; moral is personal. Journalism must be moral. To me as a writer – I'm creatively thinking now – these are the 3 moral jewels to keep shining:

Truth. Beauty. Goodness.

(Image of Truth, Beauty & Goodness from Best Of Cosmetology, blogspot.com)

Writers must write the fullest truth for the greatest beauty for the greatest good. Always.

To be practical, I say The Golden Rule of Journalism is this:

Write unto others as you would others write unto you.

Today, when you write an article, essay, opinion piece, editorial, speech, or sermon, in this Digital Age, there is no reason why you cannot quote or learn from what others have written or said about Truth, Beauty & Goodness in whatever field of science, art, or everyday living. Even Adam & Eve had an Apple to learn from! Into that Apple, God had computed sin.

Journalists must do research all the time on the truth, beauty & goodness of something or other, especially if controversial. Journalists have to connect that big or small Truth to Beauty and Goodness every single day. Anyone can claim, "This is The Truth." What about its link to Beauty? What about its relation to Goodness?

I say Truth has to do with Science and Folk Wisdom; Beauty has to do with the Arts and all Culture; and Good has to do with Religion.

Whoever you are, to be a world-class journalist, you must be Truthful, Beautiful & Good!517