Here is a radical thought, how about, now just hear me out, and I know this sounds crazy, but it has worked in the past, how about we just report what is happening, without adding needless additional politics to it?
This is a ridiculous idea that no serious journalist abides by. Journalism is inherently political and biased. Just choosing WHAT to report on, when and how prominently, it’s already political. And believe it or not, humans aren’t really capable of ignoring their biases when producing any kind of writing. Even if you try very hard, you won’t see where you’re biased, that’s kind of the nature of biases.
What journalists should do is always be upfront about where they are coming from and where they stand. To not hide behind “neutrality” and “objectivity”. That really doesn’t exist and only makes readers misinformed as they believe the biased reporting of a journalist is objective reality.
“So much for Objective Journalism. Don’t bother to look for it here—not under any byline of mine; or anyone else I can think of. With the possible exception of things like box scores, race results, and stock market tabulations, there is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a pompous contradiction in terms.”
― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72
HST’s solution to the problem was Gonzo Journalism, and honestly, I think that’s been the end result of new media’s rise to popularity in journalistic circles. Don’t hide behind “objectivism”. Instead, embrace the biases and acknowledge them, so that your audience knows where you stand.
Ok, then they’ll just limit what they report to the news that reinforces the worldview they want to cultivate. Even objective facts can be manipulative if used properly.
Here is a radical thought, how about, now just hear me out, and I know this sounds crazy, but it has worked in the past, how about we just report what is happening, without adding needless additional politics to it?
I’m sorry sir but such a thing does not exist, i fear you must have dreamt it.
Döpfner’s publications have never reported on what’s actually happening before; why should they start now?
This is a ridiculous idea that no serious journalist abides by. Journalism is inherently political and biased. Just choosing WHAT to report on, when and how prominently, it’s already political. And believe it or not, humans aren’t really capable of ignoring their biases when producing any kind of writing. Even if you try very hard, you won’t see where you’re biased, that’s kind of the nature of biases.
What journalists should do is always be upfront about where they are coming from and where they stand. To not hide behind “neutrality” and “objectivity”. That really doesn’t exist and only makes readers misinformed as they believe the biased reporting of a journalist is objective reality.
“So much for Objective Journalism. Don’t bother to look for it here—not under any byline of mine; or anyone else I can think of. With the possible exception of things like box scores, race results, and stock market tabulations, there is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a pompous contradiction in terms.”
― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72
HST’s solution to the problem was Gonzo Journalism, and honestly, I think that’s been the end result of new media’s rise to popularity in journalistic circles. Don’t hide behind “objectivism”. Instead, embrace the biases and acknowledge them, so that your audience knows where you stand.
Ok, then they’ll just limit what they report to the news that reinforces the worldview they want to cultivate. Even objective facts can be manipulative if used properly.