Journalists are not the enemy: but we're still among the least trusted professions

Barely scraping through, squashed somewhere between political parties and religious institutions, is the news media.

I'll take that.

When accountants account for one of the most trusted professionals in Australia, it would seem those surveyed by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand have equated boring with trustworthy.

Plus, the survey was run by accountants. I'm not even sure if they're great with numbers.  As expected, doctors, engineers and teachers topped the chart for most trusted.

I'm not going to compete with that. I know my limitations.

That's the person doing your prostate exam - I hope they have your trust.

But in an effort to claw the way back up the rungs for journalists, let's talk about why you should trust us.

We are not the enemy. This year already, three journalists have been killed for simply doing their job. 

With #FakeNews rife, American president Donald Trump calling news media the "enemy of the people", right down to our own Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Transport Minister Andrew Constance not answering simple questions from a Newcastle Herald journalist about the city's new light rail system, transparency needs us.

It's our job to look at their motivations for putting the media in disrepute with the public.

We're not perfect but, for most of us, the pursuit of truth takes precedence over everything. On some level that must equate to trustworthiness.

And frankly, in a democratic system there should be little room for political leaders who don't recognise the value of a professional watchdog to keep institutions in check.

A quick look back at history shows the leaders who treat journalists as adversaries usually fall somewhere under the category of dictators. That's worth thinking about.

So of course, trust your accountant.

Just remember none of them have ever died for your tax return.

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