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I had the honour and privilege of sitting on a panel with some of the NorthSA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½™s best journalists and writers this past Saturday morning at the Northwords Festival.  This panel was so important is because it gave us the opportunity to discuss some of the growing and threatening challenges that journalism faces in these increasingly dangerous times. 

It is no easy task being a writer at a time with so many people masquerading as reporters and using social media platforms to espouse personal and sometimes twisted agendas. The information they provide is too often inaccurate and based on untruths and even lies. It fills our social media platforms. 

No wonder. There is now an American president who espouses the same on a regular basis and gets away with it. Because he can lie, so many people other people think they can do the same slamming us with false information, or fake news. It can be so hard discern the truth at a time when it is so essential. Just as bad, it is causing us to lose our critical thinking skills when we need them the most. 

To add to this, and again thanks to the White House, we have politicians insulting, belittling, ignoring and even maligning reporters who are only trying to do their job. And that job is essential because reputable journalists are only trying to present the truth. The singular goal is to make us aware and shine a light on the growing incidents of injustice that not only threaten lives, they take them. 

The panel on Saturday was hosted by Cassandra Blondin-Burt and welcomed greats such as Dr. Marie Wilson (who does not like to be called Dr.); Lee Selleck, author of Dying for Gold; award-winning writer Laurie Sarkadi; Nigaan Sinclair, ground-breaking journalist at the Winnipeg Free Press; and Lisa Bowes, who helped paved the way for women in sports broadcasting. 

This is so important is because not only are journalists increasingly threatened by misguided politicians, but the print media is dying and being replaced by junk pouring in over social media. 

There was a time when it was almost a duty to read the paper and discover the happenings in our world. It was not for affection or arrogance, but from a sense of duty. 

It was a pleasure to write for people who appreciate stories at a time when authors knew their readers were as focused on truth and good writing too. 

Now with the proliferation of junk and lies, journalists must work hard to entice readers to read what they feel people need to know. We used to want to know, but now it can feel like pulling teeth. That should not be the job of journalists who sincerely do this work as a public service SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ they want to help the people they write about and give people the information they need to understand their world. 

Make no mistake, many good journalists sacrifice much to do this work. In some cases, their lives. 

In the last two weeks, a senior-level journalist was gunned down entering Gaza with a civil servant; foreign journalists are no longer allowed in Gaza but some try in order to do their job. This is occurring with increasing frequency in hot spots all over the planet. But these people are dedicated to the journalistic belief of the publicSA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½™s right to know. 

Make no mistake SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ some of them put themselves in intolerable circumstances. Last week, one female reporter asked Donald Trump what he thought about being nicknamed Taco (Trump always chickens out). A mature politician with class would have laughed and enjoyed the joke. Trump, of course, focused on the reporterSA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½™s rude character. 

During his campaign, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre would not allow reporters on his campaign plane SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ a first SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ and had them corralled like cattle in a roped-off area separate from the main audience. When one persistent reporter shouted out her question, he labelled her a protester. She was only trying to get us the information we need. 

This work is not for the faint of heart and though we sometimes fail to understand, good reporters are trying to provide the highest level of public service they can like any other professional. 

Northwords, which celebrated its 20th anniversary, was so successful and so important is because it helps reinvigorate the hunger for writing and reading that our society once enjoyed and that we so badly need again. 

In the end, it will be fascism and bad governance that hurts us, but it is ignorance that will do us in. This is what these authors are fighting to avoid with the work they do and why festivals such as these are so important. 

Congratulations on a festival well done.  

SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½”Nancy Vail is a longtime Yellowknifer concerned with social justice.