I’m part of the media. Am I part of the so-called problem?

A week after I graduated from Oklahoma State with a bachelor’s in agricultural communications, I started a job as a general assignment reporter in Woodward, Oklahoma. Not exactly something I’d set my sights on, but it was a way to gather the all-important experience needed to become a credible journalist.

Not only was I adjusting to post-college life, but I was also adjusting to not writing about something I knew. I was attending school board meetings, school functions, chamber of commerce meetings, emergency situations, and other various duties. I was writing about stuff I knew very little about. I was making phone calls to set up interviews. I was taking photos of stuff I’d never had to photograph before. But I was learning and finding a way.

More than once at an interview I was questioned about my background. When I revealed I was a farm kid and I had an agricultural degree, it seemingly put my subjects at ease. I wasn’t really sure why at the time. But looking back on it, people seem trust farmers and ranchers.

Now that I’m nearly 17 years deep in a career telling the story of farmers and ranchers, I’ve had more doubt in the last year of what my part of media means. Am I part of the problem? Am I even considered media? I’ve got a pile of media badges from numerous meetings and events to prove I can get the credentials. I know where to look for the story and find the right information. Heck, people even seek us out to tell their story.

Taking a step back, this morning I had to go look up two definitions—agriculture and media.

Agriculture (noun)

ag·ri·cul·ture | ˈa-gri-ˌkəl-chər 

Definition of agriculture: the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products.

Mass medium (noun)

plural mass media

Definition of mass medium: a medium of communication (such as newspapers, radio, or television) that is designed to reach the mass of the people—usually used in plural.

Now that the coronavirus pandemic is bleeding over into the lines of my work, I am struggling a bit. Prior to the pandemic, it was the presidential campaigns. This country’s leader blames the media for just about everything it seems. And then there are accusations of fake news floating around constantly. In my 17 years I’ve been accused of "fake news"one time, because I misspelled a name. Not exactly the definition of it, but what ever this person had to tell themselves to sleep at night after spreading hate.

This week on my social media feeds, more than once, I came across friends who have shared a pic that said, "Let’s shut down the media for 3 months! That will clear a TON of s**t up."

I could feel the heat flushing into my face, and the anger rise up in my chest. I had to walk away from my computer for a minute to forget what "friends" had posted.

Am I a member of the media? Am I tasked with telling the story of farmers and ranchers? Am I tasked with sharing the news that’s out there in the agricultural world? Am I trained to do so? Am I still paying on those student loans?

The answer to all those questions is yes. Does that make me a bad person? Does it make me less trustworthy? I don’t think so. My job as media is to share the news that farmers and ranchers need to know. Things like where to turn when they need help making payroll or finding the information to keep their employees safe from the coronavirus. Things like disaster assistance or the story of the local 4-H group doing something wonderful.

Americans enjoy the safest, most plentiful, nutritious and affordable food supply in the world. They also need to know where their food comes from and they need someone to tell the story. Where would you be without the media? Where would you be without the agricultural media? Who would you depend on to get the correct information to you?

Remember those social networks out there are another form of media. You are spreading the word, real or fake, regardless of whom it harms. Be responsible. I learned the responsibility of being a journalist all those years ago in college. I try to cling to those things I was taught in my Reporting class at Hutchinson Community College, my Professional Development in Ag Comm at Oklahoma State University and even the Applications of Modern Math at OSU.

But I’ll also cling to the things I learned as a reporter at the Woodward News. The opportunities I was given there to see the things I wouldn’t have if I’d went straight to an agricultural job. Also to the things I’ve learned since being at the Journal. How to cover a wildfire or a tornado effectively. How to weed out the facts in a world filled with doubters.

So the next time you post something about the media, think about me trying to write about the next best thing in sorghum or coverage coming from a national meeting. Think about the people along the value chain—the cow-calf producer, the feeder, the packer, the retailer, the consumer, and the truckers. They all matter, just like members of the media. Even if it is just the agricultural media.