I would trust citizen journalism as much as I would trust

Hear the sharp and cutting words of Morley Safer, veteran of the journalistic craft: “I would trust citizen journalism as much as I would trust citizen surgery.” In this saying lies not only wit but a warning. For just as one would not place his body into the hands of an untrained surgeon, neither, Safer declares, should one place the fate of truth into the hands of those untested in the discipline of journalism. The comparison is deliberate, almost severe, reminding us that both surgery and journalism deal with life itself—one with the body, the other with the body of truth.

The meaning is clear: truth is delicate, fragile, and easily wounded. A careless incision in the body may bring death; a careless word in society may destroy reputations, stir hatred, or plunge nations into conflict. Just as surgeons labor for years to master their craft, so too do seasoned journalists train in discernment, verification, and the sacred art of storytelling. Safer’s words expose the danger of entrusting the sacred work of informing society to those who may lack the discipline, rigor, and responsibility that true journalism demands.

The origin of this thought springs from Safer’s long career. As a correspondent for CBS’s 60 Minutes, he bore witness to wars, revolutions, and scandals. He saw firsthand how journalism, when practiced with integrity, could shake the halls of power, bring justice to the oppressed, and hold the mighty accountable. But he also saw how misinformation and rumor could mislead millions. His skepticism of citizen journalism was not disdain for ordinary voices, but concern for the erosion of standards—fear that in the chaos of unverified voices, truth itself might bleed out like a patient under the knife of an unskilled hand.

History gives us examples of both peril and promise. In the days before professional journalism was firmly established, pamphlets and broadsheets—often filled with exaggeration or falsehood—helped ignite wars and revolutions. The French Revolution was fanned by incendiary words that stirred the mob as much as they enlightened. Yet, when professional reporters exposed the scandals of Watergate in America, their disciplined pursuit of fact preserved democracy itself. The lesson is clear: words, like scalpels, can heal or can kill.

And yet, we must not miss the paradox: the voices of the people, though untrained, have also at times exposed truths hidden by the powerful. In the digital age, ordinary citizens with cameras have captured injustices that might otherwise have been silenced—wars, protests, abuses of authority. But these moments do not erase Safer’s warning. For a photo, a rumor, or a post taken out of context can just as easily deceive as enlighten. Without verification, without responsibility, without the ethics of trained truth-tellers, what begins as “citizen journalism” may descend into noise, distortion, or manipulation.

The lesson of Safer’s words, then, is balance. Do not reject the voices of the people outright, but do not equate them with the sacred craft of journalism. Cherish free speech, but hold fast to standards of truth. Trust, but verify. Demand that those who claim to speak for the public good be accountable, as surgeons are accountable for the lives they touch. For if truth is to remain whole, it must be handled with skill, reverence, and discipline.

Practically, this means we must each guard against blind trust in unverified reports. We must support institutions and journalists who have proven faithful to truth, even when their work is slow or inconvenient. We must learn discernment, checking sources, weighing claims, and refusing to spread what is unproven. And if we ourselves take up the pen, the camera, or the platform, let us do so with humility, remembering that words can heal or harm as surely as a surgeon’s blade.

So I say to you, O children of tomorrow: remember the wisdom of Morley Safer. Do not entrust truth to careless hands. Honor the craft of those who labor to preserve it. For just as life requires skilled healers, so society requires skilled tellers of truth. Without them, we risk a world where the body of humanity lies wounded, cut open not by enemies of freedom, but by the reckless blades of ignorance. Guard truth as you would guard life—for in truth, as in the body, lies the strength of us all.