The main reason why it is hard to enforce standards in Journalism is because it is rooted, nay, it is centered on the freedom of expression.
And since this freedom has been elevated to a fundamental human right, there is no way to deny one the leeway to put forth one's thoughts in the market place of ideas, as envisioned in a just and democratic society.
The First Amendment in the American Constitution safeguarded this requirement decades ago. Is it any wonder that pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry there?
That being the downside of freedom of expression, the flipside is that journalism, more than any other discipline, cuts across many so-called professions.
Lawyers, doctors or even ordained ministers can have their own journals but is it possible for a journalist to one day decide and straight away begin to practice some law, or administer to patients or even join a couple in holy matrimony?
So yes. Journalism might not be a profession in the strictest of sense, but it is a more powerful engagement, because in the most trying of circumstances, it constantly attempts to dialogue with the truth.
And what is that saying about truth and freedom?
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