"If you're a good journalist, what you do is live a lot of things vicariously, and report them for other people who want to live vicariously"

A good journalist serves as both participant and observer in the unfolding narrative of the world. By living vicariously through the experiences, events, and lives of others, the journalist steps into stories that might otherwise be inaccessible to the broader public. Through this immersive process, they gather insights, emotions, and details, absorbing the full texture of other people’s experiences. What makes their work valuable is not just the transmission of facts, but the evocation of empathy and understanding in their audience. The power of journalism lies not only in reporting news but in translating the lived reality of one person, group, or community into something relatable for many.

Readers often have neither the time, means, nor opportunity to witness distant wars, political upheavals, scientific breakthroughs, or cultural transformations in person. They rely on journalists to be their surrogate eyes and ears. This vicarious experience is not mere entertainment, it is an essential conduit for social understanding. By contextualizing and narrating events with nuance and humanity, journalists bridge the gap between the personal and the collective. It is through their careful observation and thoughtful storytelling that complex realities can become accessible.

The act of living vicariously also carries ethical weight. Journalists must maintain empathy without becoming exploitative, and their responsibility is to portray stories authentically, presenting not just the drama or spectacle but also the underlying truth. There is a delicate balance between immersing oneself in the world and maintaining enough distance to report with clarity and fairness. Ultimately, journalists provide a valuable social service: they allow people to live beyond the boundaries of their own circumstances, expanding horizons and deepening awareness. Reasoner’s perspective captures the essence of journalism as a shared human endeavor, a way for people to connect with the broader tapestry of existence through the vessel of another’s observation and narration.