23 May ESSAY- Miriam Rafo
This essay will focus whether journalism can be objective. In order to do this, it will discuss the definition of objectivity, give a brief history of how journalistic objectivity has been viewed and consider how objectivity may now be under threat from growth of online journalism and social media.
According to Gaber (2008) objectivity is an idea, which is used to refer to three distinct, though interrelated, and concepts. First, to make sure that the information that the journalism is giving is accurate. Second, objectivity is often used to imply neutrality in sense of fairness and balance. The reporter in the conflict will not show only his view but to present different viewpoints. Third, objectivity is also understood to give the audience their own space to make up their minds about what is happening, and do not let the journalists to offer them their own response.
There are a variety of different views about when and how objectivity became an important tenet for journalism practice. Schudson (1978) argues that the story of journalistic objectivity can be viewed in two different ways, narrow focus or wide focus. To begin with the narrow focus, it will be said that it is relatively short story, which began in the early twentieth century where the idea of objectivity was not too clear. Viewed more widely, the history of objectivity began much earlier, nearly in the eighteenth-century where the idea of objectivity started.
According to Gaber (2008) the beginning of the modern concept of objectivity in journalism was in the twentieth century, and in the years from the beginning of the journalism there was a big tension between both sides, one thinks that journalism can be objective and the opposite side thinks it cannot be. He argues the idea of objectivity it was and it is until now a meaningless concept, because journalists are human beings. That means they have gender, personal history and background.
However, it can be argued in Habermas’s study (1989) that there are three key moments in the history of objectivity: the emergence of bourgeois public sphere in the eighteenth century, the development of the mass-circulation press as a business in the second half of the nineteenth century and institutionalisation of professional norms of objectivity in the early twentieth century. In this brief historical view of objectivity Habermas explains that he did this study not in order to deconstruct the ideal of objectivity but to show how the divisions and tensions of class society has constrained journalism’s ability to fulfil its democratic role.
Many researchers have argued that objectivity is impossible or will always be compromised. According to Hall (1978) the journalists are framing the news and the events when their role supposed to be serving the news as it is without any opinion added with the news. Unfortunately, the news reporting does not simply reflect the already-existing news specially the political news. Two main ways to develop the contractedness of news should be noted. One way is in terms of the concept of ideology, which is particularly prominent in the work of early media. In this approach, the news media are understood to reproduce dominant ideology of capitalist society. The second approach is an understanding of news as ‘socially constructed’, this second approach holds that since all knowledge is inevitably produced from within particular conceptual frameworks, there can be no objectivity.
Journalists studied to have both sides’ ideas while they are reporting, this means they must show two sides of view not just one. It can be noted in Tuchman’s research (1972) that a journalist needs to check the facts and to seek out both sides of the story. This can help the reporter to rise above her or his individual biases and dispositions. But unfortunately teaching journalists all of this will not help them to reach objectivity. In addition, journalists by choosing whom to interview and which angle they will take in the report is representing their thoughts and they are deciding the angle of the news they have.
For journalists working today, the concept of objectivity is changing again. The print media is declining because Google, Facebook and the social media in general is taking over. Pressman (2018) says simply now people can go to the website which suits their opinions, and the way they think. They can find a seemingly endless amount of free news online, and share the articles, which are not objective because journalist’s views are included in the articles they are writing. Many young reporters in particular are reflecting their philosophy and personal engagement.
Digital media technology is developing year by year that is helping everyone to be journalist but without a degree. In eyes of Calcutt and Hammond (2011) this will help to put journalism’s objectivity under further pressure, now we can see this kind of people by vlogging on YOUTUBE without any journalistic experiences. They are showing what they want to show, and this will be worst in the next coming years. And the “news from everywhere” will be more and more in the future. It could be argued that if objectivity was ever achievable, it is no longer possible.
In conclusion, there are differing views about when journalistic objectivity became important. Some argue that the objectivity began in the twentieth century, but others say objectivity started in the eighteenth-century. This essay argues that this is the reason behind why objectivity does not exist now, even in the past objectivity was and will always be a meaningless word.
In addition, digital media is affecting the objectivity now even in the future, people are writing articles on their own page on FACEBOOK without having any experience about how to write a right article without serving their own opinion in it. Even YOUTUBE, it is an important platform for showing news on their own way, without showing the other side. Now, they have opportunity to say and write what they want which is not objective and they are affecting the audience. For all of these reasons journalists cannot be objective.
Reference list:
Calcutt, A. and Hammond, P. (2011) Journalism Studies, Abingdon: Routledge.
Gaber, I. (2008) The end of journalism: Technology, Education and Ethics, University of Bedfordshire, 17-18 October, 18. Available online at http://theendofjournalism.wikidot.com/ivorgaber (Accessed 15 June 2010).
Hall, S., Crichter, C., Jefferson, T., Clarke, J and Roberts, B. (1978) Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State and Law and Order, London: Macmillan.
Hambermas, J. (1989) The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, Cambridge: Polity.
Pressman, M. (2018) Journalistic Objectivity Evolved the Way It Did for a Reason, Time, 5 November. Available from http://time.com/5443351/journalism-objectivity-history/
(Accessed 5 November 2018).
Schudson, M. (1978) Discovering the News: A Social History of American Newspapers, New York, NY:Basic Books.
Tuchman, Gaye (1972) ‘Objectivity as Strategic Ritual: An Examination of News-men’s Notions of Objectivity’, American Journal of Sociology, 77(4):660-79.
