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Let's Talk About Objectivity 2018
Objectivity from a reader's perspective
"The so-called Capitol Hill Organized Protest area was taken over by protesters after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis" (Abrams, 2020). This was the opening line of a news article I stumbled upon while leisurely scrolling through trending news stories on my iPhone a few days ago.
The term "so-called" grabbed my attention. It seemed a rather ambiguous term to use while referencing a location exploding with protests and proclamations of sovereignty. Curiosity about the term's duality led me in search of similar articles featuring ambiguous and/or persuasive language.
The next article I found was also about CHOP. It was featured in The New York Post and read, "this is what Seattle's Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone looks like after police stormed in on Wednesday to clear protesters out" (Lapin, 2020).
While not necessarily ambiguous, "stormed" certainly lends to aggressive imagery; that of militant officers marching into battle.
So, is "stormed" the best word for police interaction in Seattle's "so-called" CHOP zone, if objectivity is a factor? What is objective journalism?
SeattleTimes.com 2020
Objective Journalism
In a 2009 article, journalist and Harvard Director Alex S. Jones described objective journalism as "...a genuine effort to be an honest broker when it comes to news. That means playing it straight without favoring one side when the facts are in dispute, regardless of your own views and preferences."
In The Elements of Journalism, authors Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel explore objectivity in journalism with a slightly different take. "Objectivity was not meant to suggest that journalists were without bias. To the contrary, precisely because journalists could never be objective, their methods had to be." This means always adhering to a rigorous, defensible and transparent process while gathering and reporting information (2014, p. 10).
Partisan news...objective?
The concept of objective journalism has been a topic of debate for years. According to a 2018 Time Magazine article written by Matthew Pressman, during the 1920's there was a shortage of objective journalism. "Over partisanship in the news pages alienate large parts of the target audience."
And...not much has changed.
Today, political polarization persists in the media. Consequently, according to a 2020 Pew Research Study, all "sides" are fatigued by the hefty amounts of politics served-up daily in the news.
AllSides 2019
Ways to increase objectivity in the news
I believe one way to encourage objectivity in the news is by removing ambiguous terminology. By doing so, journalists can broaden readership/viewership, while increasing public understanding of tough topics.
Another way to increase objectivity is to dispense with overly persuasive language. Facts speak for themselves; their weight should have the power to influence a reader's perspective. Readers should be given a chance to dissect and process information without persuasion.
Lastly, as citizens of this dynamic age, filled with myriad news options, we need to do our part by being attentive and more critical of the information we consume (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2014, p. 286). If your chosen news source leans too far left or right, perhaps it is time to cultivate other media relationships. Continuously explore new information, seeking not just to confirm your ideologies but also to challenge them.
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