This Is Not a Job for Cynics

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.