Dying for truth

I have chosen one hell of a profession. According to statistics gathered by the Committee to Protect Journalists, murder is the number one cause of journalist deaths across the world. They have defined murder as either targeted assassinations or dying of violent accidents in the field. This year alone, 48 journalists have died or gone missing under unnatural circumstances across the globe, 30 confirmed dead, 18 unconfirmed. \nThe most recent member added to that list last Thursday, Aug. 2, was Chauncey Bailey of Oakland, Calif.\nAt 7:25 a.m., on a street crowded with people, a masked assassin approached the outspoken journalist from behind and fired at least three rounds into the journalist’s upper body. Pronounced dead at the scene, law enforcement in the area believe this was not a random attack but a hired hit due to the journalist’s aggressive style and tenacious commitment to race equality and urban renewal in the Oakland area. He had received death threats in the recent past but had been undeterred as he continued his important business.\nBailey’s impressive career included 12 years at the Oakland Tribune, where his probing investigative style earned him a stunning reputation for ascertaining the truth. After a two-year hiatus to write freelance for a travel publication, he was hired earlier this summer as the editor of The Oakland Post, a prominent black newspaper. He also worked closely with the Oakland Citizens Committee for Urban Renewal, where he helped cultivate an interest in journalism among underprivileged urban youth. His career was spent promoting news literacy in communities that have classically been ignored by the mainstream press. Most recently, he was investigating the financial trouble of a militant black Muslim group eventually connected to his assassination. This group’s history includes murders, kidnappings and sexual assaults, among many other allegations.\nWhat Bailey dedicated himself to and ended up dying for was journalism as it should be. He was an advocate for equality and a fearless investigator against urban corruption. He fought for his home and his community with his words. The fact that he was gunned down in such a manner is proof that he was doing something deeply important: working to expose the truths behind a group that had been terrorizing his community. \nThis tragedy, my journalistically inclined friends, should not be a frightening event that deters us into the complacency of straight, soft news. We should, instead, look to the sad truth of violence against investigative journalists as proof that so much more needs to be done. There are bad people out there, hurting the innocent and abusing their social, economic and governmental statuses. We, the journalists, are the individuals with the training and constitutional protection to expose them. Just looking at mainstream news, one can see that not enough journalists are doing the dirty, dangerous work to facilitate the changes we could. Bailey’s murder should be a wake-up call to every person who dares call him or herself a journalist. The battle for truth is alive and kicking.