By Antonia Jaramillo

Journalists have been undergoing a lot of scrutiny from the public — especially from those in our government.

Having to deal with being called “fake news” by our current administration not only sheds negative light on journalism as a profession, but it also belittles our field and causes uncertainty and unwillingness to believe what we have to tell the public. That’s why the recent articles by various news outlets involving public figures who have been accused of sexual misconduct is so important and noteworthy. The news surrounding Harvey Weinstein and other public figures alike displays what journalism is really about: exposing the truth.

Journalists are the gatekeepers of news. We’re the watchdogs, the flies on the wall, the ones providing the public with relevant and timely information, as well as holding those accountable. However, this isn’t the first time journalists have exposed scandals and created change, nor will it be the last time. It was journalists who brought Richard Nixon to resign as president as a result of the Watergate scandal. It was journalists who brought an end to McCarthyism and the Vietnam War.

By providing the public with the news, journalists have been able to spark changes leading to various revolutions in our country. But that’s also our job. It’s our job to serve the public and provide them with the truth. It’s our responsibility to provide unbiased and objective information. It’s on us to hold others accountable for their actions and make sure the public receive all the facts.

Therefore, we shouldn’t even be surprised or relieved that journalists have done an exceedingly well job in exposing public figures of their sexual misconduct in the workplace and in their personal lives toward others. It was the reporters of the New York Times’ job and all the others that have followed from other news outlets to expose these men.

Journalism is a public service that is able to spark conversations and ignite change. This is a thankless profession whose sole purpose is to inform the public. In a time where there is so much distrust in the media, it’s our responsibility to ensure we change how others perceive us.

We know we can’t please everybody and there will always be those who accuse us of bias and dishonesty, but we need to do better than what we’re doing now. It is not acceptable for the public to continuously doubt us or be surprised or impressed when we do a good job — it should always be expected for us to do well. Yes, it’s hard when we have to deal with a government that is insisting we are doing the opposite of our jobs, but that cannot bring us down.

We must keep this momentum going to continue to be the voice people turn to in order to expose the truth.

Journalism is still very much needed today, so let’s make sure we change the perception and continue to be the noble profession we know we are. We cannot be lazy anymore — journalists have to continue pushing to cover and report on these issues that have been swept under the rug for too long.