By: Sophia Rathleff
As I found myself pondering what I would write about for the final time (with this publication), the usual popped up. Recent elections and failing governments were obvious choices, an op-ed was what I was headed for. Then I spiralled, what does an op-ed consist of and what is political journalism at its core? So I landed on this idea, asking why do we actually value political journalism? Why and how does it exist? But critically, why is it so important?
What is political journalism, really?
“Political journalism is a broad branch of journalism that includes coverage of all aspects of politics and political science, although the term usually refers specifically to coverage of civil governments and political power.” - definition.com
Essentially, it's writing informatively and critically about anything under the study of politics as a whole. However, getting into the nuances of what journalism or politics means opens an array of opportunities…and roadblocks. It is wielded as a tool for criticism and analysis of local, national and international governments. It is the backbone for freedom of the press, and freedom of expression within a country. As Don Munro, a journalist for CBC, stated “Ever play the children's game "Kerplunk"? Freedom of the press is like the toothpicks. Remove them and all the marbles fall, everything falls apart. And the game's over”.
Well, those “toothpicks” now come in so many forms. Political journalism originated like all other journalism, published in newspapers. This made newspapers notoriously lean to one political party or an alignment, and state leaders would often measure their popularity through the reaction of “their'' newspaper. But, with the growing age of technology, there has been an exponential rise in different forms of publication spreading across the internet, such as the wonderful website you are reading this on now.
Why do readers value it?
Readers find critical analysis easy to trust or simply consider in their frame of thought. To be technical this is due to the set of standards these journalists are held to. Transparency, humility, originality, the Discipline of Verification. A backbone for not only journalism, but for life in general. We can take these principles and apply them to any aspect of life, which makes these pieces wholly more relatable for readers. All of these principles are measures of a writer's respect for their profession and their readers. The astonishing thing is that within these principles, political journalism often feeds into a reader's thoughts and validates their perspective, while offering alternatives at every opportunity.
Or it may simply be because it's interesting…
Why is it important?
Political journalism is its own beacon, its own entity that is a quintessentially integral part of society at large. It is indiscriminate, of political system or individual, in its criticism or analysis. The beautiful thing about it is that no matter how hard a government may try to suppress the press it will always prevail. Even if your own subjects can't write about it, they know someone else will or they will die trying. The courage of political journalists, such as Marie Colvin (source), provides an example in itself to all studies of journalism.
Additionally, people need perspective. We all need an independent view that provides differing perspectives, and that is what political journalism does. Without the people being able to formulate opinions there is no trust between the social and the political.
To conclude
Political journalism is so important, and is so often undervalued. Granted, all journalism is important, yet there is something about participating in government through this type of journalism that just raises it slightly higher. It is also a love language for many writers, where they pour their thoughts of their country into a piece or a way of demonstrating their intelligence and ability to formulate opinions. Personally, I have experienced both in the past year. I am incredibly fortunate and honoured to call myself… a thoroughly mediocre political journalist.
I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the two teams of editors/heads that I have worked with over the past two years. Also, to say to all the writers to come, good luck and enjoy yourself.
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