Discuss modern journalism and answer the question of whether objectivity in journalism has been forsaken. On the left we have Huffington Post, and on the right we have Breitbart (of course there are other examples to use on both ends of the spectrum); question and answer why there has been an uprising in biased reporting in the Western world. Explore the causes of this and compare modern journalism to past journalism such as the 1920's (or any time period the author chooses).
This is a great topic...Something you can add may be the role television, the internet and other mass media portals played in this. – MikeySheff8 years ago
Interesting topic, though I'm not convinced that journalism has ever been truly objective. While objectivity sounds like a lovely ideal, it's worth questioning how possible (or even useful) it actually is. Some of the most iconic journalists from history (Murrow comes to mind) achieved that status by being opinionated, and bringing about real-world change with their opinions. Perhaps the onus need not be on the journalists to not take a stand on divisive issues, but rather on media consumers to read what's been written by both Left and Right-wing journalists to form their own opinions. – ProtoCanon8 years ago
It's also helpful to think about why news organizations have changed over time due to corporate control. Many owners now emphasize profit margins over quality news. – seouljustice8 years ago
Objective journalism never existed. The first papers in America were colonial papers which were not allowed to publish anything bad about the government without facing jail-time. Post colonial papers were entirely sponsored by political parties who used newspapers to attack opposing candidates from different parties. Then came the penny press which sensationalized stories, focused on celebrity news, and sometimes fabricated entire stories. It wasn't until the 1800's the a facts-driven model was introduced and there was more of an emphasis on being objective, though even then they never entirely were. Now a day, Opinion Journalism plays a huge part in media as a whole. Opinion Journalism should not be confused with Counterfeit Opinion Journalism, which consists of those crazy, outlandish claims and accusations based on personal belief and emotions. In contrast, real Opinion pieces consist of facts, actual news, in which the writer takes into account and then draws and educated conclusion. Whether the reader agrees with the writer or not is irrelevant, if the facts are correct and provided in context, its still valuable news. A lot of the Counterfeit you see is spread because we no longer have men sitting in chairs deciding what we hear and see. Now, we are the gatekeepers of media, and if we continue to spread false news, it will continue to be printed. – HDumars8 years ago
Protocannon's correct: all journalism is "yellow" (see William Randolph Hearst). A positive about ubiquitous Internet news sources is that silencing them would be like playing Whack-a-Mole for our central scrutinizers; one bad part is that many internet news sources, too, play Whack-a-Mole with the truth. – Tigey8 years ago
While I agree that all journalistic outlets have varying degrees of bias, try looking for publications that make real efforts to be as objective as possible. Most modern local newspapers and broadcast stations tend to be as close to neutral as they can without sensationalizing their stories. I hope this helps. – Tanner Ollo7 years ago
You should also look into the worrying trend of news outlets quoting no other sources than Twitter. Credible sources seem to be a thing of the past in the mainstream media. – AGMacdonald7 years ago
After spending the lead up to the US election on the campaign trail, Australian editor and journalist Aleks Vickovich argues there is now no question: objective journalism as we knew it, is dead. In your post, you can explain why the role of media as an impartial observer is redundant and the significant implications this has for media businesses. – ChristinaBattons7 years ago
Oh it is absolutely dead. Now a days, reporters and journalist to focus on objective news reporting. They are focused on what appeases the audience, so they can get more viewership. Facts don't matter anymore. It's all about money and ratings.
– justjohn33655 years ago