I interviewed Colombian journalist Hollman Morris in Toronto a few days ago. My favourite thing that Hollman said was the following:
For me, there are two kinds of fear. Whenever you write or present, you face the fear of the intolerant. This is a fear we always deal with. But much worse is the fear you face when you get to a part of the country after a massacre, a place where you, the journalist, are the only person who has a chance to break impunity and get these people’s story out, to shine this tiny light and break the official history of lies. The people put all their hope in the journalist. You get there – and you feel this fear. You feel so small before the hopes of these people. And this fear makes you feel responsibility.
This is definitely a fear I can relate to. Here’s the rest of the interview, that deals with context in Colombia, Hollman’s program CONTRAVIA, and the trajectory of journalism.
