A Journalist's Dilemma

When I read the Branzburg case, it made me think of my career choice. When I first started college, I strongly considered going into the journalism field. I always enjoyed communicating with others whether it was simply conversing, writing, or debating. The notion of being able to write an article, and having it published to the rest of the world was intriguing. I also thought the lifestyle was appealing with all of the traveling, and interesting people I would get to meet along the way. I guess when it all boiled down to it, I thought it would be a unique way of living. Looking at this in retrospect, I am more than happy that decided not to enter the journalism field. Its a tough gig. It turns out that I don't want to travel for work. In fact, the lifestyle of a professional journalist does not appeal to me one bit anymore!

The Branzburg case also reminded me of the dilemmas that many of these writers face. Do you risk your losing freedom to keep a source under wraps, or do throw away your livelihood and your reputation  in order to stay out of court (or jail). Journalists get paid to write good stories and in order to do so, they have to get their hands dirty. In this era, there are different avenues in which journalists can get their view across. I understand that. But looking at this from my perspective, I have to ask, is it worth it? I know I am not the first person to write about this, but doesn't it seem counter intuitive for the public to promote journalism as a truth finding function of our nation and to promote the trust between journalist and confidant, yet watch our government over the years use every tactic it can to compel journalists to break that trust?