brittany-essay

This essay was submitted on request by: Brittany Brown

Aggreypedia thanks you for your cooperation in spreading the goal of sustainable development that Professor Aggrey Brown envisioned.

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In writing journalistic articles there are particular ways to write an article. As journalists, you ensure that your audience is informed in an objective way. According to the MerriamWebster Dictionary, objective means “expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations.” Throughout the history of Journalism persons have claimed that objectivity is a myth. However, "if 'objectivity' is impossible to achieve, what hope is there for the journalist who wants to be, and is seen as professional?"

One scholar, Merril suggests that there are two ways to look at journalistic objectivity. It can be a myth which is an impossible goal to achieve and also, a largely reachable goal that steers the journalist toward accuracy, fairness, balance and impartiality. Even though objectivity is termed as a “myth” it holds much importance to not only the journalist but also the media house to which they work for. They have to ensure that the stories presented are truthful so that the public isn’t misinformed and puts the subject of the story at risk. In addition, in writing it is critical to remember everyone has different beliefs and disregarding someone’s belief may cause conflict which can affect a journalist’s career. Journalists should do their best to obtain information from all possible sources to ensure it is truthful and unbiased. Information which may offend or humiliate a person should be checked especially carefully.

Popular topics that often lead to a subjective view include celebrity news, politics, and lifestyle among countries, crime and violence. These topics usually end in an ongoing debate if written too subjectively. Although journalists should refrain from writing articles based on feeling or opinions sometimes based on the type of article such as an editorial or column, your view is important in appealing to your audience. Also, an audience may like subjective information from journalists as a means of entertainment or to understand an issue from a different perspective. Therefore, in some cases writing subjectively doesn’t make you an unsuccessful journalist.

As humans we all think in a biased way from time to time, it’s in our nature. We also love to express our views based on our right to freedom of speech but ethics mustn’t be disregarded. In every country, writing an article may be different based on laws but the code of ethics by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) are guidelines followed by everyone. Two major points the SPJ Code of Ethics outlines is to “act independently” and “be accountable.”

Once you ensure both are done your audience will be satisfied. Brent Cunningham, managing editor of Columbia Journalism Review stated in an article that reporters are not ideological warriors. They are imperfect people performing a difficult job that is crucial to society. “Despite all our important and necessary attempts to minimize our humanity, it can’t be any other way.”

(Cunningham, 2003). Even though objectivity is difficult to achieve efforts must be made to be objective or just simply ensure that based on your article you have a combination of thoroughness, fairness, accuracy and transparency.

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In achieving objectivity it requires endless decision if a methodological approach is taken. According to Kovach and Rosenstiel, “originally it was not the journalist who was imagined to be objective. It was his method.” This principle can still be applied in journalistic writing today because if a method was used it would be easier to write objectively. When writing objectively one must bear in mind which facts to include in a story and which to leave out, that you have enough verification to confirm a fact, how reliable a source is, which facts come first and which come last; which stories lead the newscast. Each of these decisions reflects an opinion but there aren’t necessarily opinions in the media world instead they are news judgments. When aiming to write objectively it excuses lazy reporting and makes journalists recipient of news rather than aggressive analyzers and explainers of it.(Cunningham,2003) The moment an article is written of your own knowledge and understanding without much research to gain the facts it will become subjective so a process approach is crucial in order to be objective.

Neither subjectivity nor objectivity is “better” since both are useful in their own rights but they must be used selectively. To become a more competent writer, you need to know when to leave your own opinion. As you progress a writer pleasing your audience will be of great importance and so you’ll strive to be objective (Angelique Caffrey, 2014). Even though objectivity might be difficult to achieve it is like a tenet based in moral foundation meaning it is necessary in the development of your writing. Objectivity might be a “myth” or “impossible to achieve” but the values and principles that undergird the idea (fairness and accuracy) should always be a guideline in writing.

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