It's the media's job to hold power to account. This year, too many got into bed with it instead | Arwa Mahdawi

"Almost a decade ago I decided to quit my well-paid job in advertising in order to pursue a precarious career in freelance journalism. The merits of that decision are up for debate but the real stupidity is in how I quit my job: I wrote a rather cringeworthy column for the Guardian about my meaningless job in advertising and publicly proclaimed that I'd decided to quit."

"Maybe this sounds twee, but I was sick of selling people things they didn't need. I wanted to do something meaningful. You know what, though? While selling underwear and vodka to the masses may not be entirely fulfilling, it's better for the soul than selling people wars and genocide. Peddling cleaning products via 30 second TV ads is a far nobler calling than whitewashing authoritarian politicians via both-sides reporting that consists, to quote George Orwell, of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness."

A public declaration of quitting a well-paid advertising job provoked an unhappy boss and personal embarrassment. The decision to leave was driven by discomfort with selling unnecessary products and a desire for more meaningful work. Selling consumer goods is contrasted with the moral harm of whitewashing authoritarian politicians and enabling propaganda. Journalists should pursue truth without fear or favor, avoiding coziness with the powerful or polishing corporate images. Concentration of media ownership among billionaires and the blurring of advertising, PR, and journalism turn outlets into strategic megaphones and enable cynical political marketing. A Pulitzer-prize-winning cartoonist resigned from the Washington Post in January.

Read at www.theguardian.com