I am also a journalist. When I look at this country from a journalistic eye, with the many leaks that have come out regarding the decisions of our military and government, it's difficult not to question where my loyalties lie. I am not saying that being a journalist does not mean you can't be a loyal American citizen and vice versa. What I am asking though is when negative information comes out about my country, what level of responsibility do I have first: to my country and the government or to the people?
In many ways I see and understand what leaks try to achieve. They believe that they are exposing the truth on what governments do not want us to know. They are the "voice of the silenced" and the face of those who have been turned away from news corporations who do not believe in exposing arguably illegal, invasive and corrupt actions of our government and military.
I believe in the watchdog role journalists take and many believe that this is the way to act in that role. By exposing these actions they are informing the American people and even the world that their rights are being violated or that the government and military are acting out of line with laws and agreements. As a journalists I believe in the duty to inform the people if such actions are occurring.
I believe in the watchdog role. What I do not believe in, though, is how information is attained, especially when illegally done, which has been argued in the case of WikiLeaks. If information is going to be exposed it should be done within legal realms, but when the information is in the open it should be reported to the people.
While I do believe in leaks (within reason), at times my proud American appears on my shoulder and whispers in my ear how wrong it is too. How can our government do such a thing? How can the military, the military that my family is a part of, partake in such actions? How? It's embarassing and makes me disapointted in our government and military.
Family photo with my older cousin, Rob (left) who has served in the Coast Guard for nine years, was in ROTC, and is now an instructor at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.
No one in my family has been directly involved in any of the occurances that have been leaked, but the leaks make me disapointed in the organization that they represent. Shouldn't I not want things to be leaked then? Of course I don't want my family to be looked down on because of the actions of our military and government, but that does not stop me from wanting the truth to be exposed.
The most important lesson I have learned as an American is that of freedom and truth. Our First Amendment is freedom of speech. How I have grown up interpreting that is we have a freedom to truth and that the truth is what we should focus on in this country, so when the truth is exposed, even when it reflects poorly on our government and military, it should come before anything else.
It tears me apart when I think about it. I don't want my government and the people that I love to be looked at negatively. This is where I realized that being a journalist and a believer in leaks does not make me a bad American, it makes me an American utilizing my rights to believe in what I want to believe in. It's the truth, and the truth matters.
Sarah Kenney
sk699110@ohio.edu
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