I WISH I had that proverbial pound for every time I’ve heard someone say, “I blame the press”. Usually, whenever people make such a remark, they inevitably tar the entire media with the same brush. Lashing out at the press is easy and, as targets go, I would be the first to admit that criticism is often justified.

Yes, the press gets things wrong. Yes, it has been responsible for some unacceptable intrusions. Yes, it has demonised some sections of society such as like refugees and migrants while irresponsible journalism has stoked intolerance. Fortunately not all of the press does this.

Rarely, it seems, do the most strident critics of journalism pause to distinguish between good and bad media. Their response is invariably based on whether what is reported tallies with their personal viewpoint.

It’s fine to take the press to task when it fails in its job but, if there was ever a time to support a press that is genuinely doing what it is meant to do, it is surely now. This is not a holier-than-thou observation; journalism, after all, means many different things to different people. But journalism’s most important role, that of seeking the truth, needs to be harnessed with steely determination.

At the International Press Freedom Awards on Tuesday evening, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour spoke for many journalists determined to fight the good fight. “I believe in being truthful, not neutral. And I believe we must stop banalising the truth,” she said.

Forgive me if I quote or paraphrase from her speech at length but rarely has a journalist said so well what needs to be said at precisely the moment it needed to be said. Ms Amanpour calls it as it is, making clear that, as journalists, we have to be prepared to fight harder than ever for truth in a world where the Oxford English Dictionary just announced its word of 2016 as “post-truth”.

The challenges facing today’s journalistic truth-seekers are not new or unprecedented. Across history, reporters have had to wade through the cesspit of propaganda and disinformation to get to the root of stories and issues. Fake news sites or their equivalent might not have existed or been so sophisticated in the past but lies have always been around.

In turn, the same solid fact checking and investigation that were the hallmarks of a commitment to genuine reporting that saw through the deceit, chicanery and spin of the past, must continue to do so at present.

To achieve this, journalism has to stop its slavish and misguided intimacy with the very same social media that has undermined real reporting. A tweet is not journalism any more than a Facebook page is a factual account of an individual or institution.

Wael Ghonim might not be a household name but, as a social activist, his Facebook posts helped ignite what would become the Arab Spring in Egypt in 2011.

He of all people understands the power of what he calls the “mobocracy” and the threat it poses not only to meaningful journalism but also to many of the values we hold dear.

Donald Trump, according to Mr Ghonim, is “a living example of the damage the mobocratic algorithms of social media can do to the democratic process.” He is bang on the mark in highlighting that, what the president-elect did, was to effectively use social media to bypass both the political establishment and the mainstream press. It’s time for journalism to wake up to that reality and stop acquiescing in such a process.

Which brings us to the question of how we go about doing this. Well, a good place to start is by having a journalism that cares as well as knows; a journalism that wins backs its readers’ respect.

We need to make the case that journalism can be a force for good and that good journalism matters. I’m always encouraged by the fact that, despite the suspicion and prejudice that exists towards our profession, there are always those people who see it for the necessary institution that it is.

Perhaps the time has come for the creation of what the celebrated correspondent John Pilger called “a fifth estate,” in which “journalists break from the masonry of their institutions – and develop a new freedom of the press, a new notion of independence and new ways of accountability”.

Some will say that this is precisely what social media has created but what exists at present in that realm is far from what Mr Pilger envisages.

The kind of journalism that is so desperately needed at this moment is one that gets back to basics.

It is one that must utilise the full potential of reporting to prevent abuses of power; one that exposes immoral, unethical or illegal behaviour by individuals, armies, governments or companies.

This kind of journalism means exposing those who would foster intolerance and racism even if that means calling out those within our own professional ranks.

This kind of journalism means fact-based reporting without fear or favour, not social media tittle-tattle and vitriol disguised as journalism.

The journalism andwider media community too have to recognise the common threat that exists towards our profession and make sure we have each other’s backing in these changing and uncertain times.

We need to guard against those malign forces, political and otherwise, both at home and abroad, that seek to manipulate or undermine efforts the profession makes as it re-energises a commitment to uncovering lies and injustice.

As recent reports by organisations such as Reporters Without Borders have shown, worldwide freedom of the press has declined sharply in the past decade.

This takes many forms: security or anti-terrorism laws as a pretext to silence critical voices; militant groups and criminal gangs using tactics to intimidate journalists; media moguls manipulating news content to serve their political or business interests.

In today’s volatile political times meaningful journalism must, as it has done in the past, seek to protect and serve the most vulnerable as well as strive to protect itself.

Christiane Amanpour is correct when she says that journalism faces an existential crisis, a threat to the very relevance and usefulness of our profession.

I’m proud to be a journalist and I will be even prouder when those within our profession show their unequivocal willingness to stand up to these threats around us.

We are not just talking about Mr Trump’s America.

“The media isn’t just against me, they’re against all of you,” he insisted while addressing one of his presidential election campaign rallies.

The time has come to show Mr Trump and those who share his “post-truth” views that they are utterly wrong.