Objective Journalism vs. Partisan Journalism
Ben Thompson
Rachel Miller
DIS 611, W 9 a.m.
Objective Journalism vs. Partisan Journalism Objective journalism in the United States should be reconsidered to accommodate the demands of varied audiences and increased media outlets. With the media growing in magnitude and influence, many people are looking for fresh, like-minded news sources. Declines in newspaper readership and television news viewing among many Americans suggests that objectively reported news is a failing philosophy. Younger, more impressionable people may be ready for the advantages of the partisan news reporting style.
For many years, American journalism has been remarkably different from other parts of the world, particularly Europe. The European style of journalism is aggressive, analytical, and opinionated. They are not afraid to express their opinions while presenting the researched facts. On the other hand, American press is marked by objectivity. Objective journalists make quick decisions, and seemingly have more credibility. The goal of appearing unbiased sets the American press apart from the European, and it has remained because nothing has come along to replace this style of journalism.
Brent Cunningham suggests that the pursuit of complete objectivity distracts journalists from the real "truth" and leads to lazy reporting (Cunningham par. 11). "If you're on deadline and all you have is both sides of the story,' that's often good enough."(Cunningham par. 10). The way most stories are set up, reporters present two sides, and the reader decides which is right. Often times, however, the readers are in no position to make a call. They may not have enough information to make an educated decision. They are not the ones extensively researching an article; that is up to the reporter.
Cunningham says the failure of the press is their dedication to style, creating not only passive journalism, but also passive readers. He outlines this failure as a result of
Rachel Miller
DIS 611, W 9 a.m.
Objective Journalism vs. Partisan Journalism Objective journalism in the United States should be reconsidered to accommodate the demands of varied audiences and increased media outlets. With the media growing in magnitude and influence, many people are looking for fresh, like-minded news sources. Declines in newspaper readership and television news viewing among many Americans suggests that objectively reported news is a failing philosophy. Younger, more impressionable people may be ready for the advantages of the partisan news reporting style.
For many years, American journalism has been remarkably different from other parts of the world, particularly Europe. The European style of journalism is aggressive, analytical, and opinionated. They are not afraid to express their opinions while presenting the researched facts. On the other hand, American press is marked by objectivity. Objective journalists make quick decisions, and seemingly have more credibility. The goal of appearing unbiased sets the American press apart from the European, and it has remained because nothing has come along to replace this style of journalism.
Brent Cunningham suggests that the pursuit of complete objectivity distracts journalists from the real "truth" and leads to lazy reporting (Cunningham par. 11). "If you're on deadline and all you have is both sides of the story,' that's often good enough."(Cunningham par. 10). The way most stories are set up, reporters present two sides, and the reader decides which is right. Often times, however, the readers are in no position to make a call. They may not have enough information to make an educated decision. They are not the ones extensively researching an article; that is up to the reporter.
Cunningham says the failure of the press is their dedication to style, creating not only passive journalism, but also passive readers. He outlines this failure as a result of
Cited: Campbell, Richard. Media and Culture. Boston-New York: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2005. Cunningham, Brent. "Re-thinking Objectivity." Columbia Journalism Review: Online Issue #4 (2003). 28 Oct. 2005 .