'Truth is the enemy of politics' -Oksana Chelysheva, journalist
A Pew poll study released in July, 2013 showed that lawyers and journalists were ranked as the most despised in the United States. While military professionals were ranked at the top of the list as the most liked, and teachers came in a close second, doctors, scientists and engineers were understandably also viewed positively.
The poll numbers do not reflect the importance journalists and lawyers play in society, if they perform their jobs to the best of their abilities with integrity, honesty and guts. These fields are also vital and necessary components to a free and open society.
Lawyers and journalists seek justice, sometimes in the most trying circumstances.
To understand how both professions have work together, one can look at a case outside the U.S.
Take for instance, a legal situation in Uganda.
It was reported that Ugandan lawyers came out strongly in fighting what they viewed were colonial laws. These were laws, which some lawyers said had freedom of the press suppressed.
Civil rights lawyers called on journalists to help join them.
Francis Gimara, the executive director for Public International Law, argued that these antiquated laws were made during the colonial era. In arguing the case, Gimara cited an edict given by the late Justice Joseph Mulenga.
"Personal appeals of hiding under the arms of the Attorney General must stop. The police officers shall come to court and defend themselves on their own,. By putting ourselves together as a forum, we hope that other bodies like the Uganda Journalist Association [UJA] will join us," said Girama.
Oft-times during political revolutions, like in Egypt or most recently in Ukraine, journalists, lawyers and academics are what repressive governments fear the most, and are frequently sent to jail or severely beaten.
"That is because the truth is the enemy of politics," journalist Oksana Chelysheva told Lawyer Herald.
In November 2013, Don McNay, a columnist with The Richmond Register recently penned an article titled, "Life Lessons from Lawyers, Journalists and 10 Years as a Columnist."
"I've spent the last 31 years as a structured settlement consultant, working with trial attorneys. Trial lawyers take on a lot of unpopular causes and powerful corporations," McNay wrote.
"The only thing that allows them to survive is a sense of justice. The other occupation that the same personality characteristics as trial lawyers is journalism. If you look at any list of unpopular professions, lawyers and journalists are usually at the bottom. Nurses win almost every year... and I cherish them, but someone needs to appreciate what trial lawyers and journalists bring to the table," McNay added.
The inherent drive to be an ethical, brave and strong journalist mirrors being a lawyer in that both fields require having an unquenching thirst for the truth.
While being a doctor, nurse or teacher are all commendable and noble professions, too often the public forgets how important a role journalist and lawyers play within society.
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