In June 1965, after an indifferent final year of high school, I landed as a junior reporter at the Petersfield Post, a tiny weekly newspaper in my native Britain. Fifty years later—after a career at the BBC, CNN, Reuters and now as an editor at this newspaper—my deep respect for the profession remains, even as journalism suffers attacks from all quarters and has lost some measure of the public’s trust.

My first few months as a young reporter were ugly. I had few writing skills and no real comprehension of what was required...