If by 'journalist' you mean someone who how a vocation of providing the public with important news and information, you for have a fundamental misunderstanding of the modern news-media. True journalists, I'm afraid, are few and far between. Muckracking is a far more profitable occupation, both in terms of finance and popularity. It's why idiots with voting power are a better filter than your standard copy-editor. Money and power are self reinforcing pursuits; truth and integrity are not.

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On the plus side: once you realize how the system works, you are free to game it to get your message across. It becomes amazing the kind of stunts you can perform.