Objectivity

The concept of objectivity is a controversial one in the field of journalism. Why do you think it causes so much controversy?

When using the word objectivity, one is usually referring to the element of fairness and balance within journalism. It is vital that journalists keep their personal opinions out of their work. The focus should only be on getting the information out to the readers. As stated in “Writing for the Mass Media” written by James Glen Stovall, many have an issue with the concept of objectivity because they feel it prevents the journalist from completely informing the readers about the issue at hand. It is often a difficult task to write as a neutral opinion while still trying to inform the views of both sides.

I believe it causes so much controversy because when dealing with the element of objectivity, it is assumed that there is no problem with the journalist being able to separate their views from their work. Sometimes it is not that easy. It is a very difficult to write with your own opinion about a matter, but never letting your ideals show on the paper. Referring to the information found in Stovall’s work, another issue I feel that makes this so controversial is the thought that objectivity limits the journalist from fully informing the readers about all the information at hand. If given a task that was the complete opposite on how you felt, I would imagine it would be very difficult to write fairly on the matter. A journalist would have more ideas and concepts regarding the side they leaned towards more than the opposite side. This is why many believe that when put in this difficult situation, objectivity is a very hard concept to work with.