Why Objectivity In Journalism Is So Rare
By Amberley Canegitta
To say that journalism has always been objective would have to be a blatant lie, and to say that the objectivity wasn’t influenced because of profit would be an even bigger lie. Many complain that in today’s journalism world, papers that rely on others for profit lack objectivity and therefore lose their reliability. But who is to say that newspapers were always objective and reliable?
Many turn to any event in history in which journalists exposed the truth behind politicians and their unfavorable acts as proof of an era of shining and true journalism. That is not to say that the reporting of events such as the Vietnam War or Watergate aren’t good examples of objective and reliable journalism. It just isn’t the majority of journalism.
In Robert McChesney’s The Problem Of The Media, he explains that objective journalism is a fairly new concept when it comes to journalism. Newspapers were primarily commercial and strongly leaned on their own political agendas. McChesney mentions Michael Schudson, an expert in journalism history, who says, “as late as the late 1890s a standard Republican paper that covered a presidential election not only would deplore and deride Democratic presidential candidates, very often it would simply neglect to mention them.”
Sound familiar? This is what people accuse TV stations Fox News and on the flip side CNN of doing, as if this is something new happening in the journalism industry. It is not. It is especially difficult when those same political parties are the ones who are funding these similar channels so they can stay on the air. It is a slippery slope that journalism teams have to ride: objectivity or having enough money to report in the first place.
Fortunately, it doesn’t mean that journalism can’t rise from this. Despite money being a serious issue for journalism to stay afloat, there are companies who find ways to keep objectivity in their newsrooms.
Many point to subscriptions that papers like The New York Times have, but where objectivity really shines is in non-profit news organizations — funded by the people, for the people.
Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting is a news organization that relies on donations. “ The Center for Investigative Reporting has developed a reputation for being among the most innovative, credible and relevant media organizations in the country... We consistently shine a bright light on injustice and protect the most vulnerable in our society.”
When people think of journalism today that is the message that should stay with them. Not an industry that spreads fake news but an industry that shines a bright light on injustice.
