by Kurt Lozano
I suppose this is a very momentous occasion for all of us here at The Millennial Post. With the launch of our news website, we would have all flown from the nest, so to speak. For the past two years we have studied the ins and outs of journalism, made countless reports and papers, and even did a few interviews. Although admittedly most of our work was confined to the classroom and viewed only by our classmates and professors, but all that changes now. With the birth of The Millennial Post, our stories can now be seen by virtually the whole world.
I see this now as both a blessing and a curse upon us. Now that our stories can be read and our names can be known by everyone, it places a particular amount of pressure upon us to, at the very least, provide quality work adequate for our potentially global audience. While it may indeed prove quite difficult and taxing for us, I believe that we are all up to this challenge.
With all that said, perhaps we can now even start to consider ourselves among the ranks of today’s Journalists; the Fourth Estate, the watchdogs of society. Although I must say that the term ‘watchdog’ always makes me remember a particular phrase attributed to the Roman poet Juvenal which goes, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?” When translated, it can be understood as “Who watches the watchmen?”
I now find myself asking that very question, who should be watching us, the watchmen of society? While I cannot speak for the entire body of journalists, I can speak for all of us budding journalists here at The Millennial Post. As we endeavor to keep an eye on all that will be happening in the world around us, you can expect that we will be keeping an eye on ourselves too. Of course, you can expect us to uphold the basic values expected of Journalists and honor our sacred allegiance to the truth, but it does not all end there. Although we may be able to look to our own, should the prying eyes of our fellows be enough to keep us in check? I think not. Journalists hold a special place in society, due to the fact that one of our obligations as the observers and critiques of those in power, in itself, also gives us a position of power. With that, who should now keep us from the misuse and abuse of this power?
The answer, dear reader, is you. We are, after all, beholden to serve both the citizenry and our readership. So, dear reader, though we will strive to rid our work of spelling and grammatical mistakes, plagiarisms, misattributions, and all other banes of journalism, watch for when they slip through. Watch us, dear reader, but do not be afraid to interact and share with us, so we may know your thoughts so as to better serve you. Watch us and read us, but try to look beyond what we have merely written and see the greater picture of this world we are trying to paint. Watch us, as we try to reveal the mysteries of this brave new world to you. Watch us, dear reader, for we will be watching you.
With all that said, perhaps we can now even start to consider ourselves among the ranks of today’s Journalists; the Fourth Estate, the watchdogs of society. Although I must say that the term ‘watchdog’ always makes me remember a particular phrase attributed to the Roman poet Juvenal which goes, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?” When translated, it can be understood as “Who watches the watchmen?”
I now find myself asking that very question, who should be watching us, the watchmen of society? While I cannot speak for the entire body of journalists, I can speak for all of us budding journalists here at The Millennial Post. As we endeavor to keep an eye on all that will be happening in the world around us, you can expect that we will be keeping an eye on ourselves too. Of course, you can expect us to uphold the basic values expected of Journalists and honor our sacred allegiance to the truth, but it does not all end there. Although we may be able to look to our own, should the prying eyes of our fellows be enough to keep us in check? I think not. Journalists hold a special place in society, due to the fact that one of our obligations as the observers and critiques of those in power, in itself, also gives us a position of power. With that, who should now keep us from the misuse and abuse of this power?
The answer, dear reader, is you. We are, after all, beholden to serve both the citizenry and our readership. So, dear reader, though we will strive to rid our work of spelling and grammatical mistakes, plagiarisms, misattributions, and all other banes of journalism, watch for when they slip through. Watch us, dear reader, but do not be afraid to interact and share with us, so we may know your thoughts so as to better serve you. Watch us and read us, but try to look beyond what we have merely written and see the greater picture of this world we are trying to paint. Watch us, as we try to reveal the mysteries of this brave new world to you. Watch us, dear reader, for we will be watching you.