What defines a journalist?

The question was asked by the father of a friend who wasn’t thrilled for his daughter to join me at daily The Muslim, that used to be the newspaper of choice for residents of Islamabad. And without waiting for my answer, he offered his own: ‘At any gathering the first few people to reach for food are always, always journalists.

After many moons the question sprung in my head while reading my Sunday newspapers. It was September 4, the last day of eid holidays, and arguably the leanest day for news but ‘the pages have to be filled’ as they say in every newsroom from Karachi to Kohat. And so there were stories filed by staff reporters, there were headlines composed by sub-editors, there were pictures taken by staff photographers, and there were opinions expressed by the more brainy staff members, just like any other day.

But there was precious little to inform, educate or entertain the reader. Unless the country’s prime minister threatening Karachi squatters is taken for entertainment; reproducing hand-outs and transcriptions goes for information; and subjective opinions are meant to educate.

One of the few original news items I found was on the back page of The Express Tribune and it was about two devolved government departments that have practically done nothing for months because the province’s assembly hasn’t done the necessary legislation to take them over. The departments have been sent but haven’t been received, like packages in the care of Pakistan Post. It was an interesting story with a couple of direct quotes as well, only it wasn’t presented as a journalist’s work. It was a piece in the Speakers’ Corner, written by Sonia Malik, who going by her head shot, seems young enough to be in school or college.

If her piece is journalism, what is it that fills dozens of broadsheet pages of that day? Does she have the right to introduce herself as a journalist, on the basis of this one piece alone? Do all the others who failed in their job to inform, educate or entertain the reader through their words, ideas and illustrations, have the right to introduce themselves as journalists? Is employer the only one to decide whether or not a person is a journalist? Who and what defines a journalist?