Journalistic Poetry

Journalistic poetry or as the article, Poetry, and Journalism of the Spirit , in the Mantle refers  to  as  spiritual journalism   that has provided an alternative medium to express heavy content in  a new light and some may argue in a more impactful way than traditional journalism. The intersection of poetry and journalism has often been critiqued as separate spheres that should not intertwined. The late American poet  and journalist, Archibald MacLeish states, "What matters …is the truth of the feeling – the feel of the truth.” Therefore , is it not the duty of journalist  to seek the truth and report it?Traditional journalism often uses an objective form while poetry tends to have a more emotional significance but there is a common ground between journalism and poetry that brings a different perspective to events, especially events of crisis.
The Arab Spring influenced an increase of new poetry blogs. Many political bloggers reporting on the Arab Spring switched their existing blogs to poetry blogs in order to protect themselves from imprisonment, torture or censorship. It often difficult to convey emotions and critically engage an audience through traditional journalism but  poetry can bring in a more human aspect that not only informs the event but also gives the reader a deeper understanding of one’s position in this world. Although poetry may obscure facts and dates it still encompasses the overall mission of journalist to provide an accurate truthful account.  Spiritual journalism is a form of citizen journalism that empowers people and gives a voice to  those citizens who are directly part of the news story. Spiritual journalism can be used as a tool for citizens to tell their own account of their story without the risk of misrepresentation that traditional journalism often creates. Therefore, can poetry be recognized in the Journalism world?  or will it continue to be cast as only an art form? Libyan-American poet Khaled Mattawa’s poem on the aftermath of Muammar Gaddafi’s death