As I've said in previous posts, journalists get to meet a lot of people. Some people are so sweet and intelligent it's mesmerizing ... other people are so cruel and ignorant, it's shocking. Either way, it's always a roller-coaster kind of feeling afterwards.

I was told by someone a few days ago that I don't have morals. There really wasn't a definite reason for this person saying so, but he apparently felt that I was not as highly moral as he.

Morals are something journalists joke about because it's common for others to think we're the worst people in the world (besides lawyers, of course). We're at crime scenes, we tend to ask a lot of questions, we make information public that some want to keep to themselves ... so, no, not everyone likes us.

However, that doesn't mean we don't have morals. Trust me, I've seen things and thought, "Wow, who could do this?" But, I've never said to someone, "You have no morals. People like you make this world a worse place."

People can be categorized into many different groups for judgmental reasons. You can split people by religion, race, language, hair color, weight and yes, profession.

But, isn't there a little lack of morality in every religion, race, language, hair color, weight and profession?

Let's say, you're the mayor of a city that is dealing with some form of corruption and you're trying to hide it from the public...isn't that a lack of morals? Or, less intense, you're in advertising and while trying to bring in the ad money you twist things. So, when as a journalist, I call to ask questions about something that happened, how does that make me less moral? I don't make these things happen. I cover the story when it does happen.

I also want to take a paragraph to remind people that ignorant insults fly around everyone. People are judgmental and harsh. Look at the Detroit Street blog for example, those people are harsh with their comments. Ignorant people will find any reason and way to spit out their opinions in hopes of offending someone. People will forever judge you by how you dress, which (if any) religion you practice, what you do in your free time and so, so many other reasons. As a journalist, I see this constantly. Half of the police reports I read, half of the complaints I hear, most of the crimes I write about ... a lot of stuff starts because a comment was made that wasn't thought about first or it had no foundation to ever be said.

Whether or not I have morals, I love what I do. And, I have the opportunity to let the world know about the people in my communities, the good and the bad.

Keep your head up. Someone's negative comments are always rooted in some form of ignorance.

Catch ya later, Internet World! :)

"By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, journalism keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community." - Oscar Wilde