The role and responsibility of a journalist is something I think about a lot, probably too much. Especially when it comes to being a person with white skin and the accompanying privilege. And especially as social media is changing the role as we speak, to an almost unrecognizable profession that now includes “citizen journalists.”

New York Times Nicholas Kristof exemplifies, for me, some aspects of the debate about the role and responsibility of a journalist in society. Some see him as a hero, delivering news of the underprivileged and marginalized from all corners of the world, while some see him as only doing harm. For me, as usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, with the underlying reality being that Kristof is ultimately a flawed human being who is probably consumed by both a drive to do what he thinks is the right thing and his ego.

In any case, I urge you to read his column today in the Times. It is a take on what is happening in Ferguson, on the riots over Michael Brown’s death by the hands of a police officer. For me, this is typical Kristof, a high level view that doesn’t incorporate the nuances and grey shading that are so important to consider in cases like this. However, he does make some strong points and shed light on some important research.

Are we all a little bit racist? he asks. The answer seems obvious to me, hence why I spend so much time thinking about the role and responsibility of a journalist in society. But I guess it is not obvious to everyone. I think that we all harbour biases, judgements and yes, even racism in our brains. The challenge is to try to be aware of them, think through them and see how we allow them to operate in our daily lives and interactions.