What is a Journalist?

In these times of disposable journalism and alarmist/sensationalist (not to mention celebrity-obsessed) media, it's reassuring to read US photojournalist Heather S. Hughes' take on what it truly means to be a journalist.

Hughes' post on the Black Star Rising blog is a heartfelt plea to journalists to hang in there.

"In this environment of layoffs and cutbacks, where some critics seem eager to dance on the grave of the newspaper industry, I think it's important to remember what makes a journalist -- and why the institution of journalism is worth protecting," Hughes writes.

Thanks to Scott Baradell for directions to this piece.