Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a Colombian born Nobel Prize awarded writer and journalist. He shares his thoughts on the world’s best profession i.e. Journalism in this article which appeared in the Outlook Magazine anniversary issue. Garcia Marquez is one of Latin America's most recognized writers. Although he has written many acclaimed non-fiction and short stories, he is most well-known for his novels, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude, 1967and Love in the Time of Cholera, 1985. He has achieved both significant critical acclaim and widespread commercial success, most notably for introducing what has been labeled as magical realism to the literary world. He is thus considered one of the greatest authors of the 20th century. (Courtesy – Microsoft Encarta -2006).
In this article Marquez discusses the profession of journalism as it existed 15 years back. His ideas may look little out dated but they still are the cornerstones of the profession. Anyone who is curious to know the early stages of journalism will find it here in this article. The writer is juxtaposing the past with that of the present. There is a bit of nostalgia for the early practices of the profession. He ends his article by discussing the advent of technology and how it has influenced journalism in a negative way.
Marquez uses different epithets to describe journalism and journalists. Journalism is described as a craft which means that it should be handled carefully. The word also gives journalism the status of a creative enterprise. He fondly recollects the working atmosphere that existed earlier in the news rooms. He calls it as a ‘collaborative atmosphere’. Journalists worked in tight knit groups which enabled them to work in a more participative way. The kind of energy they had is described as ‘fanatical’. Today he compares news rooms to aseptic (protected) labs where people work hard in isolation.
During that time journalism fell into three categories – News, Features stories and Editorials. The editorial was given the highest importance as it needed lots of pruning and deliberations. Reporter’s job was regarded as something inferior. Marques make an auto-biographical comment here referring to the days when he worked as a journalist for a Colombian newspaper. He started his life as the member of the editorial staff. Through his hard work, he was able to work in different sections of the newspaper and finally he became a ‘plain old reporter’.
Marquez stress the importance of having a broad cultural back ground and extensive reading will help you in procuring this cultural background. Marques appreciate journalists who are self-taught since they are avid and quick learners. He is of the opinion that a school certificate is not necessary to become a good journalist.
In spite of the training they receive at media schools, most of the students enter the profession with ‘obvious deficiencies’. They have serious problems with grammar and spelling and they do not have an instinctive grasp of the news material. They also have false notions about the ethics of the profession. They have a pre-conceived notion that journalism is all about secrets and getting the news using any means. When they realize that they are misfits, they start blaming their teachers for failing to instill in them the virtues they do not have. Marquez opines that one important virtue that all journalists should possess is the ‘curiosity for life itself’.
…To be continued…
In this article Marquez discusses the profession of journalism as it existed 15 years back. His ideas may look little out dated but they still are the cornerstones of the profession. Anyone who is curious to know the early stages of journalism will find it here in this article. The writer is juxtaposing the past with that of the present. There is a bit of nostalgia for the early practices of the profession. He ends his article by discussing the advent of technology and how it has influenced journalism in a negative way.
Marquez uses different epithets to describe journalism and journalists. Journalism is described as a craft which means that it should be handled carefully. The word also gives journalism the status of a creative enterprise. He fondly recollects the working atmosphere that existed earlier in the news rooms. He calls it as a ‘collaborative atmosphere’. Journalists worked in tight knit groups which enabled them to work in a more participative way. The kind of energy they had is described as ‘fanatical’. Today he compares news rooms to aseptic (protected) labs where people work hard in isolation.
During that time journalism fell into three categories – News, Features stories and Editorials. The editorial was given the highest importance as it needed lots of pruning and deliberations. Reporter’s job was regarded as something inferior. Marques make an auto-biographical comment here referring to the days when he worked as a journalist for a Colombian newspaper. He started his life as the member of the editorial staff. Through his hard work, he was able to work in different sections of the newspaper and finally he became a ‘plain old reporter’.
Marquez stress the importance of having a broad cultural back ground and extensive reading will help you in procuring this cultural background. Marques appreciate journalists who are self-taught since they are avid and quick learners. He is of the opinion that a school certificate is not necessary to become a good journalist.
In spite of the training they receive at media schools, most of the students enter the profession with ‘obvious deficiencies’. They have serious problems with grammar and spelling and they do not have an instinctive grasp of the news material. They also have false notions about the ethics of the profession. They have a pre-conceived notion that journalism is all about secrets and getting the news using any means. When they realize that they are misfits, they start blaming their teachers for failing to instill in them the virtues they do not have. Marquez opines that one important virtue that all journalists should possess is the ‘curiosity for life itself’.
…To be continued…
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