By Isabel Ordóñez
Assistant Editor, Cash
Quito, Ecuador

After five months working as a journalist in the United States, I am returning to Ecuador full of ideas about what should be the role of young journalists in the print media, where freedom of expression nowadays is not threatened by politics, but by economics.

My most radical idea is to launch a new independent media. But, I don’t have the money to do it, and even if I could, I am sure that in time, my publication would face the same economic dependency as the rest of the media.

What does economic dependency mean? In Ecuador, it is common for journalists to feel rejected after constant censorship by their editors, who don’t allow them to write about the corruption, such as what is going on inside the banking system because the banks are among the most powerful advertisers in the Ecuadorian media.

The consequence of such censorship is that many young reporters change careers out of frustration. Before coming to the United States, I thought there was not much that could be done to improve this situation, but during my fellowship, I have realized that we can do many things to change the situation, even if we are not allowed to write about corruption.

A major change should include modifying the idea that a journalist’s first duty is to write about scandals and corruption in society. Of course such reporting is necessary, but I feel that in Ecuador this drive has pushed aside another kind of journalism, the sort that examines problems in the community.

Among the most interesting aspects of American journalism is that it often focuses on the community. The largest section of papers is often the metro section, and it is full of good writers, many of them chosen because they represented a certain minority group.

A good example of a local emphasis is shown in the obituary section. In the case of the San Antonio Express-News, located in San Antonio, Texas, editors have a senior reporter with more than 15 years of experience writing obituaries.

Each obituary is a work of art, full of memories, images, with quotes from relatives and friends about a deceased person who has in some way contributed to the community or its character.

Ecuadorian newspapers don’t make space for things such as obituaries written by staff members. Publications are instead full of international news, scandals, and political corruption. Such news must be printed, but also the community needs to read stories that reflect their nearest concerns.

In Ecuador, the largest newspaper has dozens of pages filled with news about war in the Middle East, Iraq, the economic problems in Russia and the winners of the international sports games, such as a recent soccer championship in Japan.

Our book and film reviews are about books and films made in the United States! The city pages (metro section) are few and they only offer readers basic information without sociological interpretation.

I am aware that this change of philosophy can only come as the result of an editorial decision by the paper. For this reason, my mission when I return will be to explain to editors why the metropolitan section must have more pages, more reporters and be given more attention.

One of my goals will also be to explain to editors the importance of giving reporters enough time to write strong stories. In the United States, even general assignment reporters have two or three days to work on some pieces. The majority of Ecuadorian journalists have to write two stories per day, even if they work in a large newspaper. The result is that the story does not have enough research.

The way to resolve this problem is to have a better plan and vision for the paper’s news coverage. In Ecuador, print media try to compete with the speed of television and radio. They are concerned about having everything as soon as possible, but don’t take time to interpret the facts.

We should stop in the middle of each day’s madness and ask ourselves where we are going to put our efforts to get the best quality news in print.

I am sure that many people will listen to my opinions when I return to Ecuador. Many of them will consider my ideas interesting, but all of them will think that these theories are difficult to apply because Ecuador and the United States are different worlds.

And that is true. Reporters in United States have salaries that allow them to pay the bills, save money, take a vacation abroad and even have a car. So, reporters feel comfortable in their jobs and have time to plan their personal and professional futures.

Editors in the United States are happy to give young reporters the opportunity to grow as professionals. The newspapers pay for training programs or for master’s degrees at local universities.

In Ecuador the average salary for a reporter with 10 years of experience is $500 a month, with about half of that going to pay the rent. They have to work 12 hours per day, without overtime. If journalists want to study for a master’s degree or receive special training, they have to resign and use their savings to pay the tuition because their companies don’t have budgets for such matters.

That is the importance of the Alfred Friendly Program. AFPF offers young journalists the opportunity to work in excellent environments, besides giving them the time to think about their futures and how their ideas can contribute to their countries.

The problem is that Fellows are kind of like Cinderella, because after five months of fantasy, they have to return to live the same reality. But even this unhappy ending has a good side that can be explained with an Ecuadorian saying: What you enjoyed, nobody can take away from you!