Lemann recalls being a young reporter for The Washington Post, and how "we weren't so different from a prestigious deaprtment at a major university: we were intensely dedicated to our work, we were hyper-competitive and aware of our status within our professional peer group, and we had an exalted sense of the social function we were performing." (emphasis added)
Most people I know recognize our place in society: we may not be building the Salk vaccine, but our job IS of value - be it a waitress delivering food and value to customers, a cashier at 7-11 dispensing change and facilitating the purchase of coffee for the start of the day, or a plumber fixing our broken sink. Everyone has a part to play in the aggregate fulfillment of everyone's personal manifest destiny. And, for the most part, we are proud of our roles.
But these creatures clearly have some outsized view of their place in this puzzle. In short, the beat reporter has a role in a functioning society, but their social function is no more exalted than that of the barista or librarian or hot dog vendor. However, the danger is that you THINK you're better than us all.
Most people didn't realize the disdain journalists had for us until, ironically, Watergate. After that, we got movies and books and editorials on how JOURNALISM saved us from Nixon. Then we got lectured. That's when we decided that maybe Journalists weren't all that great. As this relationship soured, they turned on us, and told us to "learn to code." How ironic.
YUP!!
You’re right.
This “exalted sense of social function” comes from the reason they started in journalism in the first place. Ask ANY journalism school student why they chose this profession and they ALL answer the same way.....”To make a difference.”