Book
This Is Not a Job for Cynics
First published: 2013
Ryszard Kapuściński's appeal to journalists to uphold ethical standards and humanitarian commitment, rejecting cynicism in the profession.
About the Book
This Is Not a Job for Cynics is a posthumously published collection (2013) of Ryszard Kapuściński’s statements on journalism — lectures, conversations and addresses in which the great reporter shares his vision of the profession. The title sums up his credo: good journalism cannot be practised cynically.
Kapuściński addresses himself here above all to the younger generation entering the profession. He argues that a reporter must first of all be an honest, sensitive and committed person — a witness who feels responsible for the word and for the people he writes about. He warns against the traps of the contemporary media: the chase after sensation, manipulation, the treatment of information as a commodity, and the separation of the journalist from the reality he describes.
It is a manifesto-book in which ethics and craft are inseparably intertwined. Kapuściński reminds us that behind every piece of information stands a living human being, and that the reporter’s work has a profound moral dimension. For everyone who works with the media — and for readers who want to understand it — it is reading that, with the passing years, loses none of its relevance but only gains.
Themes
- The ethics of journalism
- Social responsibility
- Resistance to cynicism
- Giving meaning to words
Message
The profession demands honesty, courage, and conscience.
Polish Editions
See the list of Polish editions of This Is Not a Job for Cynics with ISBN numbers. translationMode: localized
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Where to go next
Three ways to keep going — read a sample, pick the next book, or meet the author.
Kapuscinski in his own words
Memorable lines on travel, truth and the Other — the shortest way into his way of thinking.
Read the quotes → Read nextA Portrait of the Reporter
Kapuscinski on his own craft — selected statements on how his reportage came into being.
About the book → The authorWho was Ryszard Kapuscinski?
From a small town on the Polish border to reporting on twenty-seven revolutions — the life behind the books.
Read the biography →source: kapuscinski.info