Is Objectivity in the News an Unrealistic Expectation?
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- Date Submitted: 12/21/2011 01:38 PM
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Is objectivity in news an unrealistic expectation? Give reasons and examples.
Objectivity and news reporting is something the media strives for and is often criticized for lacking. It is believed that journalism, just like medicine and science is a recognized profession and with that there comes responsibility. “Journalism does provide an essential public service: the reporting and presentation of important news or public knowledge in a disinterested and objective manner” (P.185, The troubles of journalism). In the case of journalism and news reporting there responsibility is to be fair and objective but it is here where the debate lies, how do you define ‘objective’ news?
Many media critics flaw the traditional notion of objectivity and the issue stems from the fact that it lacks a widely agreed definition. For the purpose of this essay I wish to tackle these definitions and outline the real role of journalism, examining the potential limitations as to why perhaps objectivity is an unrealistic expectation in the news, and whether or not it is feasible. I believe that it is an unrealistic expectation in the news for several different reasons and these will be explored throughout the body of the essay. Objectivity is clearly a core element in the journalism ethos even if there is no consistency in its meaning and there are many arguments for the preservation of objectivity and the emphasis to strive for it. Conversely from the research conducted I found considerable criticism of objectivity which condemns the ideal and supports my argument that objectivity is an unrealistic expectation in the news but without necessarily constructing an alternative. I gather that the idea that objectivity with more transparent bias should be maintained as the ‘new’ ideal and this I will explore in greater detail having first of all analyzed the traditional notion of objectivity.
Academic literature and news codes largely talk about objectivity as “fairness” commonly...
Objectivity and news reporting is something the media strives for and is often criticized for lacking. It is believed that journalism, just like medicine and science is a recognized profession and with that there comes responsibility. “Journalism does provide an essential public service: the reporting and presentation of important news or public knowledge in a disinterested and objective manner” (P.185, The troubles of journalism). In the case of journalism and news reporting there responsibility is to be fair and objective but it is here where the debate lies, how do you define ‘objective’ news?
Many media critics flaw the traditional notion of objectivity and the issue stems from the fact that it lacks a widely agreed definition. For the purpose of this essay I wish to tackle these definitions and outline the real role of journalism, examining the potential limitations as to why perhaps objectivity is an unrealistic expectation in the news, and whether or not it is feasible. I believe that it is an unrealistic expectation in the news for several different reasons and these will be explored throughout the body of the essay. Objectivity is clearly a core element in the journalism ethos even if there is no consistency in its meaning and there are many arguments for the preservation of objectivity and the emphasis to strive for it. Conversely from the research conducted I found considerable criticism of objectivity which condemns the ideal and supports my argument that objectivity is an unrealistic expectation in the news but without necessarily constructing an alternative. I gather that the idea that objectivity with more transparent bias should be maintained as the ‘new’ ideal and this I will explore in greater detail having first of all analyzed the traditional notion of objectivity.
Academic literature and news codes largely talk about objectivity as “fairness” commonly...