A Journalist's 'Actual Responsibility'
New York Times, July 5, 2009
By Roger Cohen
In the 24/7 howl of partisan pontification, and the scarcely less-constant death knell din surrounding the press, a basic truth gets lost: that to be a journalist is to bear witness. The rest is no more than ornamentation. To bear witness means being there -- and that's not free.
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