Impartial Journalism Essay

The aim of the present essay is to study the phrase “Impartial journalism is a worthy aspiration but is unachievable by an individual journalist”, to what extent does somebody agree with this statement.

Journalism is a tool, a craft, and an art. It can be put to many uses, to serve many purposes. Its defining characteristic is: the practice of honestly, transparently sharing relevant, current information and context that has been researched, filtered, and vetted. Beyond that, the field is wide open.

Journalistic objectivity is a significant principle of journalistic professionalism. Journalistic objectivity can refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and nonpartisanship, but most often encompasses all of these qualities.

Working

Bovée “Journalistic objectivity requires that a journalist not be on either side of an argument. The journalist must report only the facts and not a personal attitude toward the facts” [6].

Further, academics such as New York University’s Jay Rosen have criticized impartial journalism, saying it can lead to what he dubs “the view from nowhere”. He describes this as “a bid for trust that advertises the viewlessness of the news producer. Frequently it places the journalist between polarized extremes, and calls that neither-nor position impartial.”

Sociologist M. Schudson argues that “the belief in objectivity is a faith in 'facts, distrust in ‘values’, and a commitment to their segregation” [5]. It does not refer to the prevailing ideology of newsgathering and reporting that emphasizes eyewitness accounts of events, corroboration of facts with multiple sources and balance of viewpoints. It also implies an institutional role for journalists as a fourth estate, a body that exists apart from government and large interest groups

This objectivity in journalism helps the audience to make up their own mind about a story and decide what they want to believe. There is a necessity for reporters to present the honesty regarding the facts instead of always reporting information in an honest format. In addition, to maintain objectivity in journalism, journalists need to present the facts whether or not they like or agree with those facts. Clark Roy Peter regards, objective journalism needs to remain neutral and unbiased regardless of the writer’s opinion or personal beliefs