At a party, I was recently confronted with the question that all writers hate. “So, why do you write?” asked the suspicious man staring at me. My lips curled a bit as I glanced down at the coffee table. “It’s 2 a.m.,” I thought. “I don’t want to answer this question.”

I should be more specific before I start. I didn’t hate the question; I hated what the question always leads to – a long discussion about the state of the news industry. Like a fool, I try to explain my first love is literature. After throwing him with a new topic, I hope this man will ask me about famous authors instead. No, he stays on course.

So we begin.

He swings at me with general questions about paper writing; I answer. He asks about the current state of the industry; I answer. Then he asks the heavy-hitter he’s been winding up the whole time. “Why can’t journalists write their own opinion?” he asks. “That’s what I want.”

I try explaining why the media takes an unbiased view of the world. He counters by pointing out Bill O’Reilly and evokes the writings of Hunter S. Thompson. It’s a cheap shot, but I can’t defend against it, and for almost an hour we verbally spar about the purpose of mass media.

Around the end of our discussion, when it looked like he wouldn’t give in and I wouldn’t back down, I realized something. This man was the reason I currently work at a newspaper. While my planned vision of the future does not include me bent over a desk fiendishly typing stories from notes on yellow pads of paper, I would not be disappointed if I wound up there because journalism is a mindset.

Quality journalism comes from people who don’t mind late hours or low pay. Tell them the industry is dying, and they’ll write an opinion piece about why paper is better than computer. Good journalists see a need to inform. Even the best opinion writers want their audiences more informed (if only to question the status quo). Sadly, when I tried to end my sparring match with this comment, my opponent questioned my motives.

I walked away from that conversation slightly more assured about journalism. Blogs and pundits get more attention these days, but I know that quality journalists will never lose their urge to spew information from their fingers. I can’t answer why. Perhaps they’re all idealists or gossips.
Perhaps they’re just ignorant of the world, but I don’t think that’s true. Real journalists keep their goal secret and sacred.

They all want to change the world, and they believe they can do it by informing the public.

While my future may not be in a newsroom, I know what makes a good journalist – a desire to make sure the world has enough information to make tomorrow better.

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