objectivity

According to the dictionary, objectivity is judgement based on observable phenomena and uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices.  The true definition however is different for almost every journalist.  Every journalist should practice objectivity, but every journalist has a different opinion on how to really express objectivity.  Journalists are obligated to present information that the public needs to know.  Their number one priority is to the citizens.  For me, objectivity is telling a news story with enough information to get the point of the story across, but not allowing emotions to take control.  Without emotions playing a part in the story, it is easier to see both sides of the story and not be biased.   

"The new journalism tends to be more personal.  It prefers transparency to objectivity or self-effacing neutrality.  Across journalism programs, there is a trend toward teaching a perspectival journalism that draws conclusions, and argues for interpretations.  This challenges the previous dominance of objectivity as an ideal."  -Stephan Ward

(for his article click here)

Like Ward said, objectivity is different for every journalist.  For some, transparency is enough. For me, objectivity should be shown by providing a story with sufficient information to make the readers feel like they have obtained knowledge or useful information.  Objectivity includes refraining from letting emotions take control in a story.  Journalists should not be cold hearted when covering a story, but they need to remember their first priority is providing the public with the information they need to be self-governing.

MOTIVATIONS

    What are my motivations in becoming a journalist? This question can be answered by the first principle of journalism according to The Elements of Journalism: 

"The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing" (Kovach & Rosenstiel).

Although I am still undecided of my major, I know the importance of journalism in today's society.  A subject that is constantly taught in this class is the purpose of journalism.  From day one, we have learned that a journalist's first duty is to the citizens. Without journalists, citizens would be unaware of a great deal of news worthy events that they should know about.  After realizing this, my motivation to become a journalist is to fulfill the needs of the people in our society.  Citizens have a right to know what's going on, and its our duty as journalists to keep them informed.  

"Open journalism’s core principles are transparency, responsiveness, participation, collaboration and connection. … It’s an idea for making quality journalism a collective endeavor and transforming it from a product driven by factory processes to a service driven by audience needs.”

This quote from an article by Josh Stearns expresses the fundamentality of journalism.  Journalists should report on what citizens need to know, rather than what will sell.  Newspapers began as a hobby and later developed into a revenue product.  This drive to make money has changed the focus of news.  As a journalist, I want to provide the public with the information they need to know.  Giving the public knowledge motivates me to become the best journalists I can possibly be.  

The full article can be found by clicking HERE.

News Blown Out of Proportion

Facts may not always be facts when it comes to news.  Whether the reader trusts the reporter depends on the credibility and the reputation of the reporter and the company he or she is reporting for.  

We've all heard that the world is going to end in December, 2012. This idea came from a Mayan calendar that was discovered.  This calendar only dates to December, so naturally the rumor of the end of the world escalated.  According to the article I found, the end of the world is confirmed to occur December 21, 2012. Archeologists that have seen the hieroglyphics believe it is clearly stated that the world will end on that date.

“They knew how long the world would last and they were extremely confident about the apocalypse.  They were much more advanced they we are today,” said Professor Kahmra Malley of Rutgers.  ”I wouldn’t make any long-term plans.”

This quote is from the article, END OF THE WORLD CONFIRMED by Weekly World News.  This article can be found by clicking here.  From this quote you can see the extreme seriousness that these archeologists are expressing by saying not to make any long-term plans.  From finding the Mayan calendar that ends on December 21, 2012, these archeologists automatically assumed that it means the world is coming to an end.  Without proof that this information is true, rumors have been spread and people continue to talk about the subject.  Instead of stating the information like it is confirmed that the world will end, the journalist should have provided the information so readers would be interested instead of scared.  The journalist could have written the story about the archeologists beliefs rather than the confirmation of the end of the world.