One Who Made a Positive Difference

Japan as a nation is still mourning, as I write these words, the recent killing of two Japanese citizens — especially independent journalist Kenji Goto — in the Middle East.

It was with a heavy heart that I, too, watched the videos of Goto and heard his emotionally cracking voice reading his captors’ messages, and then saw his beheaded, blood-spattered body lying on the ground. It was such a cold, cruel, senseless killing. Goto’s family loses a beloved father and husband, and the ranks of journalists in Japan lose a valued colleague.

Some of Goto’s recent messages on the Internet reveal the kind of person he was. He seemed to sincerely care about the people he was covering and wanted to get the truth of their stories out to the world.

There are generally two kinds of journalists in any country. There are those who are in it for their own ego, their own career and their own personal benefit. These types tend to be full of themselves and full of hot air; you instantly recognize them for the arrogant blowhards they are the moment you first meet them. I’ve known many a journalist like this, both in Japan and in the United States, and my reaction is not to have anything to do with them. I brush them off from the start and don’t waste any time even talking to them again.

Then there are the other kind: the journalists who honestly care about other people’s suffering and tough predicaments in life, and who want to make the world a better place through their work. They may seem idealistic and utopian in their outlook, but that to me is a virtue rather than a vice. I can instantly relate to and bond with these types of journalists, and I am honored to call them my colleague.

Kenji Goto, by all accounts, belonged to the second category of journalist. I never met Goto in Japan, and to be honest, if I’ve ever seen his reportage from the Middle East, I don’t remember much about it. But knowing what I know now about Goto’s character and his work, I know I would have welcomed the chance to meet him and possibly even to work with him in some way. No doubt he would have had my utmost respect.

Now, with Goto gone, we are left with one less colleague going out there and taking risks to make the truth known to an often indifferent world. But despite the sad, tragic way his life ended, his work will live on and continue to inspire others for many years to come.

Kenji Goto was one who made a positive difference, as a journalist, to the lives of the people he touched and to the lives of those he reported on from dangerous places. I would like to think that somehow, wherever he is now, Goto sees and feels all the well-deserved, heartfelt tributes coming his way after his passing. Yes, in fact, I’m sure he does.

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