When adults asked high school me what I wanted to be,
I told them I wanted to be a journalist,
because I thought that meant being a writer with a paycheck.
Now, when friends act surprised at how many questions I ask,
I remind them I’m a journalist – and they wonder if that part of me ever turns off.
It doesn’t.
Why turn off your why?
Because I’m a journalist, I believe in shining a light into darkness.
Because I’m a writer, I know sometimes you have to live in your darkness for a long time
before you find the light of a pen.
I still believe in privacy.
Some stories are best whispered in the dark.
Who stays in the dark?
What does the light show?
Power is the strength to know
and the right to decide.
I don’t believe the media always decides right.
I wish I believed the pen always beats the sword.
Because I’m a journalist, I believe collective memory matters.
Because I’m a writer, I know that memory is malleable.
As a journalist, I am used to mistrust.
As a writer, I often mistrust myself.
I know how hard it is to get a story right, but I don’t believe all stories are reported wrong.
I doubt my verses, but not the importance of the song.
Because I’m a journalist, I believe there’s a line between fiction and fact.
Because I’m a writer, I know fiction can be true.
As a journalist, I believe words can tell objective truth.
As a writer, I know truth is the emotional echo left when the words fall silent.
Elizabeth DeOrnellas 