Democratic partisanship: Should journalists draw a line when expressing their personal beliefs

 By: Savannah Okray 

so278618@ohio.edu

A journalist's job is to serve the public and keep them informed on what's going on in society. Social media has allowed citizens to engage with journalists like never before. However, many journalists are becoming more comfortable with sharing how they feel about controversial topics, leaving many people labeling these journalists as partisan. 

The debate on whether or not journalists should be able to share their personal beliefs on social media is ongoing. Of course, it's a journalist's job to be as unbiased as possible in their news stories, but keeping them from posting their viewpoints on social media entirely, may make the public see them as less than human. 

There are many important things to consider when talking about a journalist's role and whether their involvement in social media is crossing the line and removing them from the unbiased standard many people look to journalists to uphold. For example, in 2017, The New York Times updated their social media guidelines, reiterating that their journalists cannot write partisan opinions on their social media platforms. 

Journalism and democracy

According to the American Press Institute, the more democratic a society, the more news, and information. So, this would mean that having journalists post their views on social media would allow citizens and reporters to have even more of an opportunity to participate in the democratic process.

Without journalism, people would not know what is going on in their world. That would allow only the most influential people to determine what's essential for the public to hear. Barring journalists from expressing themselves on social media does not allow them to check the people at the top of the hierarchy if they post something inaccurate. 

If journalism is supposed to make our country more democratic, wouldn't it make sense for people who don't have a degree in journalism to participate in holding these reporters accountable? In turn, shouldn't journalist's be allowed to participate in democracy through their social media accounts by posting how they feel about a topic?

Source: World Association of News Publishers

The thin line between partisan and non-partisan

Journalism may help our democracy thrive, and journalists posting what they believe on social media supports that notion. However, another essential thing a journalist is taught is to be as unbiased as possible. 

Posting their convictions on social media could make citizens label these journalists as biased, making people disregard their work. 

That is a thin line to cross because something can be entirely factual yet framed in a way that supports one side over the other. The Columbia Journalism Review explains that it is hard to determine what comes from a place of partisanship and what does not, by giving an example of how even though a statement like "Black Lives Matter" is true, people could perceive it as a journalist choosing a stance on the matter. 

The first and most primary value for all journalists is telling the truth. Whether that includes truth through their own opinions or not, we must try to balance representing journalists' opinions while trying to stay as unbiased as possible. 

Whether you lean one way or another, both journalists and the general public must continue to double-check each other through social media participation and always try to seek the truth.