In some instances, journalists act like activists and this is mostly in matters that directly

affect them but in other instances, journalists and members of the media do not act as activists in

moments that they are supposed to do so. Nepal’s journalism before1990 is one of the instances

where professional journalism paved the way for activist-journalism. The press during this

period was driven by the motive to overthrow the Panchayat regime which they viewed and

inappropriate due to its autocracy (Adhikari, 2017). Another instance of activism journalism was

witnessed in 2016 in Nepal where journalists participated in anti-corruption campaigns that were

led by an orthopedic surgeon-activist who led several hunger strikes during the year (Adhikari,

2017). These journalists defended their actions by stating that they were open writers as opposed

to reporters and as such, they could not condone the injustices that were perpetrated by the

regime. Nevertheless, there are instances where journalists ought to act as activists and this

specifically relates to the border wars between the Latinos and the Americans. Journalists, in this

case, ought to act as activists to stop the behavior of depicting the immigrants, specifically the

Latinos as objects of surveillance who are a great threat to the American community (Fay, 2016).

A Latino journalist who is reporting a story related to immigration is supposed to exhibit

professionalism and this implies not acting as a minefield for conflict of interest. The journalist

should only act on the periphery rather than at the center of the story and this means that he/she

should be a witness to the drama and not an actor in this drama (Adhikari, 2017). Consequently,

they are not supposed to be driven by any agenda such as the agenda of discrimination but rather

use facts and seek truth such that they deliver evidence-based, credible and engaging reporting.
 References

Adhikari, D. (2017). The case against: Can journalists be activists?. Retrieved 25 March 2020,

from https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/03/case-journalists-activists-

170327135341852.html

Fay, I. (2016). The home front: citizens behind the camera. Critical Studies In Media

Communication, 33(3), 264-278. doi: 10.1080/15295036.2016.1193210