Objectivity and its role within the media has been perceived differently by numerous writers. First, Schudson asserts that objectivity is not merely a claim about what kind of knowledge is reliable, but it is also a moral philosophy. This accentuates the moral and ethical decisions that are prevalent when constructing articles. Schudson takes this one step further, and maintains that objectivity is the ideal that actually legitimises the journalistic profession. Hence any news organisation that provides information on public affairs must be impartial when reporting — otherwise it is probable that it would be perceived as a dereliction of their duty as a reporter.
Alternatively, objectivity can be perceived as professional rules and rituals utilised by reporters to process facts about social reality. This position illustrates how objectivity aims to protect the journalist from libel and widespread criticism, and therefore it is used defensively as a ‘strategic ritual.’ This view is practical and rational, for objectivity is a set of rules which is not only used to legitimise the role of journalists, but also used to protect them from denigration and legal action. The assessment of objectivity in the media thus has the ability to either ‘unmask’ the journalists and reveal their implicit prejudices, or glorify them for being impartial.
The objective ideal is resonant within our culture, and is utilised as a method of evaluating the media. If journalists are considered objective and unbiased, then they are generally perceived as fulfilling their obligations of adequately informing the citizenry. However, two main issues arise in the discussion of objectivity. First, there is not only one method of evaluating objectivity. One individual may consider an article objective and free from bias, while another may regard it as prejudiced. Second, terms that are vital to the existence of objectivity may actually ‘demand contradictory practices.’ For example, Entman maintains that balance is a requirement of objectivity; yet Smetko states that balance and objectivity contradict one another. Such contradiction was evident in the 1987 British general election; there was considerable evidence of bias despite the fact that television allocated equal coverage to the main parties. Therefore, terms that are necessary to the existence of objectivity may actually be in opposition to one another, which causes us to question if there is one single definition of objectivity.
Rather than perpetually debating the definition of the elusive term; objectivity, Gordon et al proposes that in order to locate objectivity we should focus instead on other terms such as ‘accuracy’, ‘reality’, ‘truth’ and ‘fairness.’ However, a corresponding problem would
arise — these terms would fail to improve our understanding of objectivity because they are just as elusive and abstruse.
News professionals rightfully insist that those who accuse them of bias must be able to define and locate objective truth in a definitive manner. I do not claim that ability. Rather, I present the boundaries in which one may locate bias and objectivity within an article. To provide one single universal definition and method for detecting bias and objectivity is near impossible. This is because each definition and method will differ depending on the individual. One may perceive a certain article as bias, whilst another may view it as objective and impartial. Definitions of such elusive terms are thus subjective and its detection is prone to personal prejudices. In recognition of such difficulty, or even impossibility, the clearest and most unambiguous definition is McQuail’s four types of bias and Entman’s requirements of depersonalisation and balance in the existence of objectivity. Despite their criticisms, they provide a clear and reasonable definition of the elusive terms; bias and objectivity.
3.0 – Is it possible to unbiased or objective?
The particular biases embedded within an individual are dependent on their milieu and background. Every human being has a history, and has grown up with certain beliefs and values. They have certain views towards other races, sexes and ethnicities; and they have been educated according to what is right and wrong. Every person has varying biases and views towards particular political parties and policies, and there is not one individual who does not have an embedded value system. Despite this, journalists frequently insist they are objective. But, is it possible to completely discard your own personal values and beliefs in journalism and be completely objective?
The first criticism of existence of objectivity is the belief that a news story rests upon substantive political assumptions. These assumptions are entrenched within the journalist from their own upbringing and their validity is never questioned. Every human being shares these values and assumptions, and it is near impossible for an individual to ever completely be free from these ‘mind-sets’ they have acquired over the years.
A second major reason why objectivity cannot exist is advanced by Sigelman. He argues that media bias is a consequence of a matrix of ‘organisational processes.’ These processes commence when a journalist is recruited, and continue during his socialisation with
co-workers. Although the reporter is permitted a certain amount of autonomy concerning the content of their articles, the actions of subordinates are severely restricted. Reporters will often slant articles in order to avoid conflict with their superiors, and monetary and normative incentives can encourage journalists to be consistent with their views. Therefore, media bias is not only due to the individual prejudices of the writer. It can also emerge because organisational processes have the ability to create a certain ‘slant’ in articles.
A further criticism of objectivity is presented by Entman. He maintains that the media cannot be completely objective because facts cannot speak for themselves. An editor or journalist must arrange the facts in a certain fashion, and select which facts should be emphasised. This inevitably affects what the audience perceives as reality. Furthermore, other factors such as economic interests and appealing to a certain audience can also have the ability to slant the news. This is because journalists may unconsciously attempt to appeal to a specific audience when constructing articles. Moreover, superiors will often place their economic interests above their responsibility to adequately inform the public, such as slanting a certain article to appear favourable to a major advertiser.
There is a general consensus among the public and politicians that reporters are required to impartially inform the citizenry of public events. Thus, it would be considered a dereliction of their duty if journalists failed to be unbiased and objective. If journalists place a certain ‘slant’ or bias on particular facts, the public may perceive it as the truth. Despite the criticisms that objectivity cannot exist, it is imperative for the news media to strive for this goal. If objectivity is the ‘cornerstone’ of the ‘professional ideology of journalism’, it must be possible to be objective — otherwise, why complain of bias unless a suitable alternative can be imagined?
In the first question, the issue whether it is possible to define and locate objective truth in a definitive manner was discussed. It was concluded that it is near impossible to universally define such an elusive term because every individual will interpret it differently. Lichtenberg provides a solution to this quandary, asserting that belief in objectivity does not mean that there is one ‘single determinate answer’ for every question. Rather, all questions have wrong answers, and only some have correct answers. This view recognises that all facts will be interpreted differently and thus can be attributed various meanings. However, although facts can be interpreted differently, our interpretations will always depend partly on the facts. Therefore, while there may be room for disagreement — the interpretations that are based most thoroughly on the facts will be more objective and unbiased than those that are not.
In addition, Lichtenberg accepts that the same facts and events may be of varying importance to different people from diverse backgrounds. An example of this is the diverse coverage of the Irish election in different countries. Although each country focused on different aspects of the election, they all referred to the same facts and each of the stories were still compatible with one another. Therefore, even though individuals may report and emphasise different facts of an event, if they are based on the truth — they will be objective.
Furthermore, if news organisations seek to establish clear policies on the elimination of bias, it must be possible to be objective. Our views of other cultures are not hermetic— it is possible to recognise that we see things differently, and how we see things differently. The first step to the elimination of bias is thus to recognise and understand such biases. A journalist must acknowledge that they have personal biases, and that prejudice and subjectivity can easily sneak into articles in the form of racism, political bias and sexism. Journalists must be dedicated to examining current usage for all signs of manipulation and prejudice, and recognise how to detect biases within their own writing.
The second step towards the elimination of bias is to ensure the diversity of staff. They must reflect the diversity of society in terms of varying ethnic groups, religions, races, classes and political views. This diversity is especially fundamental on the copy desk, because this improves the probability of the detection and elimination of bias. Therefore, in order for a news organisation to be objective, the staff must be diverse and journalists must recognise and eliminate their own biases in their writing.
It is possible for a news organisation to be objective. Despite the fact that journalists may not be able to completely discard their value systems, precautions can be implemented to detect bias. Rather than perceiving objectivity as a single definition with one universal answer, we must broaden our scope. It is vital to acknowledge that for such an elusive term interpretations will always differ. Every journalist will emphasise different facts, yet this does not mean it is not objective. Provided the articles are based on truth, and precautions are taken to detect and eliminate bias, news organisations can be objective.
4.0 – Conclusion
The opposing terms; bias and objectivity are utilised as ideological standards to evaluate news organisations. Despite the elusiveness of such terms, it is possible to define the terms bias and objectivity. Bias is favouring certain interpretations over others, while to be objective is to be uninfluenced by personal prejudices. However, it is imperative to recognise that every individual will vary in what they perceive as bias and objective. An individual may consider an article to be bias, while another may deem it objective. Despite these varying interpretations, it is possible for the media to be unbiased and objective. The news media have a duty to impartially inform the public, and they need to do everything possible to ensure they fulfil this duty. In order for an individual journalist to eliminate bias from their writing, they must first recognise that have embedded prejudices. Similarly, the news organisation as a collective entity must also put in place effective precautions for detecting all types of bias. It is necessary to have a diverse copy desk that will detect even the most subtle biases. The staff should reflect the diversity of society, and comprise of varying ethnicities, religions and political views.
In order to disseminate information factually and impartially; journalists must clear their minds of social mores and try to perceive the situation as it exists. Truth needs to be the crux of any article. Provided journalists base their stories on the whole truth, and take precautions to eliminate bias —the news media can be completely unbiased and objective.
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