Matthew Arnold once said, “Journalism is literature in a hurry.” But tensions have always run rife between the two pursuits. The promise of getting to the truth — the objective of the strict guidelines issued by newspapers — forms the basis of the freedom of the press, celebrated worldwide on May 3 as World Press Freedom Day. What also stood the author in good stead was the reporter’s obligation to get readers hooked with the very first sentence. Ironically, it was the absence of press freedom that forced Márquez to actively pursue a career in literature. The denial of his meal ticket meant that Márquez had to tread the thin line connecting literature and journalism.

Source: The Telegraph May 02, 2019 15:45 UTC