Since I have memory I remember my dad writing his column for the daily newspaper trying to explain to the readers the main international events. I’d learned at so tender age how stressful was to live with a daily deadline.
But journalism is like a contagious sickness and despite my father’s warnings, I decided years later to follow him in his profession.
Since then, I’ve lived for thirty years day after day, devoted to the newspaper that my readers would be reading the next day. I’ve known joyful days, good days, triumphant days, bad days, tragic days. Almost not boring days. Mostly stressful days, running against the clock to reach the deadline with my story ready for the press. I’ve known many people. From the most remarkable person you can imagine, to the most despicable. I’ve done hundreds of interviews. I’ve investigated cases. I’ve traveled. I’ve searched for the truth about what I was writing. It was a way of life. I was used to see everything from a news point of view. I’ve developed a sixth sense for news that allowed me be the first one on some scenes and get some exclusives.
In this picture you can see a young version of me questioning the former president of Navarre, with my notepad and my tape recorder.
Unfortunately, because of my lack of health I had to retire three years ago after a long career. But I cant help to myself. When I see something that can become news, I call my friends at the newspaper or I go to see by myself what’s going on. For instance, this morning, I was pretty tired, and I decided to go out to take some pictures of flowers at the park to get some air and rest. Suddenly, I heard the sound of trumpets and shouts, and of course, I went to see what was going on. The minister of interior affairs was in town, to preside a ceremony in honor of the national police. I took some pictures.
This days the newspapers are in crisis because of the digital media. The sales are going down above all among young people. They are trying to find a hybrid formula with the paper edition, and paid premium on-line editions. I personally like to read a trusted local paper and then surf the internet for fresh news, but always among qualified sources.
Congratulations on the photo of young you, looks very professional. It seems to me today that some newspapers are just in business for the impact, and not the real news. I am afraid I had got very distrusteful of some newspapers. I quite like the Swiss level of news. Probably because Swiss news is not enough to fill a newspaper and they bring the facts from other countries, and not just hunting for something sensational. I am afraid I do not believe everything I read today. Has journalism really got so negative, or is it me being the doubter.
Unfortunately there are a lot of sensationalist newspapers . But there are also good newspapers and honest journalists who are doing the best they can. The problem here is that sensationalism is easy to do and sells lots of newspapers and magazines. Serious journalism is more difficult. It takes time and a lot of work to find valuable and trustful sources to publish a good exclusive story with all the needed evidences. During my time as a reporter in courts and crimes I never had to retract from anything y wrote. I think there are many journalists willing to do the good job. But the sales are less lucrative , and at the end of the day , what companies want is money.