The Jeremiad Over Journalism

certain agreed upon conventions, but it continued to play a seminal role in American journalists‘
self perception. 163
―By the 1960s, both critics of the press and defenders took objectivity to be the emblem of
American journalism, an improvement over a past of "sensationalism" and a contrast to the
party papers of Europe. Whether regarded as the fatal flaw or the supreme virtue of the
American press, all agreed that the idea of objectivity was at the heart of what journalism has
meant in this country." 164
To Ward, the journalistic propensity to mix ontological, epistemological, and procedural
understandings of objectivity, means that traditional journalistic objectivity adheres to six related
standards; factuality, fairness, non-bias, independence, non-interpretation and neutrality as well as
detachment. 165 The journalistic adherence to the principles above means focusing on verified facts,
balancing rival viewpoints, keeping personal interests out of reports, reporting without being
influenced by commercial or editorial pressure, keeping news descriptive as opposed to
interpretative and not taking sides in a dispute. This is the essence of traditional objectivity, and
while media scholars and journalists alike have recognized these guidelines as untenable, the ideal
of objectivity still lives on. The adherence to the ideal of objectivity is exemplified by an
contemporary textbook where the practice of journalism is described in a manner fitting for ASNE‘s
code of ethics.
―In news stories, all opinions, judgments and accusations must be attributed to a source. The
163 Gaye Tuchman, "Objectivity as Strategic Ritual: An Examination of Newsmen's Notions of Objectivity," American
Journal of Sociology 77, no. 4 (1972). Page 660-662.
164 Schudson, Discovering the News: A Social History of American Newspapers. Page 9.
165 Ward, The Invention of Journalism Ethics: The Path to Objectivity and Beyond. Page 19. ―(a) Factuality: Reports are
based on accurate, comprehensive, and verified facts. (b) Fairness: Reports on controversial issues balance the main
rival viewpoints, representing each viewpoint fairly. (c) Non-bias: Prejudices, emotions, personal interests, or other
subjective factors do not distort the content of reports. (d) Independence: Reports are the work of journalists who are
free to report without fear or favour. (e) Non-interpretation: Reporters do not put their interpretations or opinion into
their reports. (f) Neutrality and detachment: Reports are neutral. They do not take sides in a dispute. Reporters do not
act as advocates for groups and causes.‖
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