Should objectivity be a virtue in journalism?
In January 2023, the opinion pages of The Washington Post ran a piece titled: "Newsrooms that move beyond 'objectivity' can build trust" - It was remarkable enough that one of the world's most important newspapers, which had helped uncover the Watergate scandal and published the Pentagon Papers, had allowed one of the most fundamental journalistic principles to be laid to rest. But almost more explosive than the text itself was the author: Leonard Downie Jr, longtime editor-in-chief of The Post and a professor at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.
In his piece, Downie describes journalistic objectivity as a standard that is no longer compatible with the new age. It has been imposed by "male editors" on their predominantly white newsrooms for decades, he says, and must be overcome.
In the U.S., media credibility has suffered dramatically in recent decades: Whereas in 1979, 51 percent of Americans said they had a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in newspaper journalism , by 2022 that figure was just 16 percent. Unfortunately, when you read texts like Downie's, you have to say: possibly rightly so. Columnist Bret Stephens wrote in The New York Times that if journalistic objectivity was a standard that had to be abandoned because it was upheld by white men, then wasn't it time to take a critical look at antibiotics because Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin?
As a prime example of the new journalism, Downie cites the San Francisco Chronicle, whose editor-in-chief Emilio Garcia-Ruiz says, "The consensus among younger journalists is that we've all been wrong. Objectivity has to go." Downie reports on newsrooms where reporters congregate in what he calls "affinity groups." Blacks, women, Latinos, LGBTQ+. Add to that the concept of "lived experience," and what emerges is journalism that no longer tries to approach truth objectively - but instead organizes itself into groups of reporters who each construct their own reality to serve the interests of their "affinity group."
Is that "progress" ? - - My personal opinion: No.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.It would indeed be a surprise to read anything other than what you have posted because by your own admission you are a conservative socialist. That seems to me like something of a two way bet. One the one hand you admire conservative middle class values and on the other hand maybe pretend to be a socialist when it is expedient to be. I get the impression that you are all about the preservation of conservative values.
“Columnist Bret Stephens wrote in The New York Times that if journalistic objectivity was a standard that had to be abandoned because it was upheld by white men, then wasn't it time to take a critical look at antibiotics because Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin?” At best that is a poor analogy that attempts to compare scientific objectivity with “journalistic objectivity”, really? That does not seem to me to be an appropriate analogy.
Who owns the media corporations? Certainly not the proverbial John Doe. Of course, in the interests of objectivity they will be impartial, there are no vested interests, are there?
It is well known that heads of governments rarely lie to each other, however, they do lie to their citizens. In terms of game theory nearly everyone has been conditioned to play the zero-sum (winning and losing ) game. Except in times of war any government that withholds secrets from its citizens has in effect declared war on them. Despite all of the spurious reasons that governments, business organizations and individuals have for keeping secrets, in terms of game theory it reduces to either each is afraid of losing or they hope to make someone else lose.
ASTRALMAX
Level 8
Feb 27, 2023
1
You wrote the longest comment so far, but managed to do so without answering the question at the top of my opening post.
If you tell me what you mean by "conservative values" I could tell you if I support them. One value that is dear to me (no idea if it's conservative or not) is common decency (I borrow this concept from my hero George Orwell, not knowing if he invented it or not)
@Thibaud70 I would have thought that the meaning of conservative values is fairly obvious to many if not most people, the dislike of change is chief among them , I’m sure you can figure out the others.
George Orwell happens to be amongst my favourite authors and I have read most of his works. I particularly like his use of plain simple English.
@ASTRALMAX I wouldn't call "dislike of change" a value. People with a conservative mindset like me know very well that change is inevitable, but there are basically two types of change: the change that happens evolutionary, in a rather slow pace, and the kind of revolutionary change brought about by those who claim to have a deeper knowledge of humanity and history, and who feel entitled to force their type of change on the society, even if they are a small minority (what they usually are, given that the majority of people prefer a certain stability and dislike disruptions and all types of revolutions.), but those who claim to be on "the right side of history" just don't care about the opinion of ordinary people.
Edward R Murrow, father of Journalism, was not objective in his hatred of McCarthy (and shouldn't have been) so I'd have to say no. Those after him, like Cronkite, set an impossible bar but that's what the BB generation now thinks is the standard. Personally, IDC much because I think the human run is about to end.
rainmanjr
Level 8
Feb 27, 2023
0
Objectivity? Our conservative "news" outlets don't even report factually. Much like your posts.
LovinLarge
Level 8
Feb 27, 2023
0
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