Yesterday, a colleague on the Penn State blog that I write for, Onward State, posted an article that gave an in-depth view to readers of the now complicated life of a Penn State student after President Trump’s controversial executive order. The student, who the journalist references as Joe throughout the article in an effort to protect his identity, is from Iran and cannot return to his home country out of fear of being imprisoned there for “assisting the enemy” in conducting United States government-funded research. Furthermore, once his visa expires, “Joe” will also run the risk of being imprisoned in the United States or deported for not having the proper, up-to-date papers.

The article that my fellow staff writer wrote demonstrates the essence of what I believe to be the primary duty of a journalist: to inform the public. There are multiple levels to this duty such as reporting the news accurately and fairly as it happens, holding officials accountable, and shedding light on the stories and people whose stories need to be shared but who might not be able or comfortable to do so on their own. That last part is what I want to focus on today.

Last week, I wrote a scathing post on this blog about how frustrated I am with the modern media. This week, I want to explain how when used properly and with the right intentions, the media can be a powerful force for social good by promoting public awareness.

Because this executive order has put so many people in such distress, many of those who are actually experiencing its brutal ramifications have not been vocal for a variety of fully rational reasons. However, these are all stories that need to be told. Since not much was being posted anywhere with candid descriptions of how all this really affects someone, I lacked any type of substantial understanding of what those whose lives have drastically changed during the last week are now like.

Granted, I knew the whole situation was bad. However, sometimes, we need to hear the stories to gain a better perspective of an issue, as opposed to just seeing statistics. As eye-opening as numbers can be, they can’t always capture raw emotion.

This technologically driven society enables people to share stories that reach all ends of the world and connect all types of people in innovative ways every day. Not only do modern journalists circulate information about current events to readers, viewers, and listeners; they also provide context and remind them that real people, who are as susceptible as they are, are affected every single day.

In the same ways that we need to know what is going on in our government and around the globe, we also need to hear stories about the Joe’s of our world. When we have those real accounts that are backed up by statistics, then we are in an opportunity to form complete opinions and plot what actions we will take.