One of the most poignant moments I’ve experienced in journalism was in 2007 when volunteering for CNN’s international desk just after, I believe, the Somali Presidential palace had been attacked. Speaking with a world leader about his personal safety in a moment when he surely had many enormously pressing matters to address, it dawned on me how important real storytelling can be for the sake of problem-solving.

My role in this particular scenario was important as, in order to be heard, my partner in conversation needed to be able to find someone to listen. As I have written repeatedly on this blog, as then, sometimes people other than corporate journalists, today, need to be heard.

On Structure

In design school, one learns, perhaps more than any one other practical thing, about the importance of building configurations – however complex and gravity-defying in appearance – that direct loads to a foundation.

While there have been many reforms since media corporations’ ability to issue stock was questioned, their structural inclination to, moving forward, value the rights of individuals, is still not ensured in my opinion.

This is because stock-trading media corporations, for starters, are peculiarly isolated from any form of meaningful accountability when compared to other sectors and yet are not home to three co-equal branches of government tasked with holding one another accountable for keeping the principles of freedom and equality primary and above profit-seeking, making them arguably dangerously cantilevered and improperly supported appendages to American governance rather than the structural supports I believe our founders envisioned. The delusion that this kind of isolation from accountability can work is not only a pernicious one, but arguably one that is cancerous and spreading.

On Stilts

While it does appear that traditional notions of protection and defense, as historically carried out by different sectors of (and sometimes individuals in) society has given way to what may be termed more of an era of self-defense, it is essential to note that there seem to be times when active self-defense, by women, children, people experiencing race-based discrimination, or other marginalized groups, only seems to work out in the open – when a proper adjudicator, or the whole world in certain instances – is able to see and hear what they are experiencing.

As the tide of Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself from Russia seems to be turning toward a much more just resolution than many people predicted at the beginning of the latter’s invasion, it is worth noting that this is not only because world leaders around the globe rallied behind Zelenskiy by providing armaments and economic sanction support, but because this rallying was induced by a world of rapt observers to real-time events.

No world leader who didn’t want to be bothered offered to pay a hungry or desperate Zelenskiy to keep his mouth shut and let the invasion proceed (unless you count our country’s offer of asylum). This, coupled with what I believe was Mr. Zelensiy’s determination to reject lazy bribes, enabled the problem to be addressed and progress – for the world – to be made.

What would have become of Mr. Zelenskiy had he experienced a harm within a journalism corporation or an organization considered unlucrative with regard to journalistic corporations’ business interests? I believe this question is at the heart of an ongoing need for a reformed communications infrastructure, which must consist not of a system of more (even if more diverse) influencers, but more meaningful reform, structurally re-integrating journalistic organizations back into a constitutional system designed prior to the emergence of the American stock market.

This is as, for the sake of our country, a sound structure will require listeners.