I am a retired newspaper journalist. What do you know of journalism? 
I do! A journalist is someone who writes or distributes news to the public.
What are the responsibilities of a journalist to the public discourse? 
They are meant to collect, write, or distribute news or even other current info to them and that is their responsibility. 
So is a journalist for the national enquirer the same as a journalist for the BBC? 
Well it would be more based on personal stories and the journalist's abilities in journalism.