Journalism Studies Basics

Assignment 1 (25% of your final mark)
This will require you to write two answers, each approx. 750 words
Define 2 key terms, demonstrating how they can be used to comment on past OR present journalistic practice

The English Oxford Dictionary (reference) defines objectivity as the quality of not being influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts (reference). In the context of journalism, this can refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and non-partisanship but is most often associated with neutrality (reference). Similarly to scientific objectivity, objective journalism aims to represent reality as accurately as possible. (reference pdf).

Throughout history.. philosophers have debated over whether true objectivity exists, ..
There are a number of myths surrounding objectivity in the context of journalism (doesn’t exist, they are moral spectators, it stifles progressive politics, obscures truth, it is invoked for protection, it is used to build audiences, it renders media power invisible (reference pdf)

Is it really possible to be objective as a journalist though? Rupar (reference) sees objectivity as a ‘norm’ rather than a goal or state of journalism, and uses this view to look at the ideal of objectivity as a method of news gathering, an account of representing reality and an attitude towards the reality constructed (reference). As an ideal, objectivity helps to maintain the legitimacy and credibility of news media, as they mediate reality for the public (reference Rupar).

Many journalists, journalism scholars and news critics agree that absolute objectivity is impossible to achieve (reference), due to the number of decisions that must be made before a story or article becomes public. However, objectivity may also be considered an undesirable goal as “objective news” can limit access that the general public have to be a part of any debate surrounding a story, for if it is seen as ‘objective’ or neutral, then there are no other viewpoints from which to view the issue, because objectivity encompasses all of these views. (Raphael 2000, pp.130-137). (reference).

News media in New Zealand generally follow the cultural patterns and conventions of those in the USA and the UK (reference Scooped Intro week 2), and in the first half of the 19th century generally reflected the opinion of the publisher (reference Day (1990, Stephens’ (1997). Over time,
Importance of objectivity in historaical journalism practices. Pages from google books and wikipedia here..

(reference) saw objectivity as a style, for example “objective reporting” is where emphasis is placed on the fact, while “interpretive reporting” focuses on the ‘story’. The Sydney Morning Herald primarily used the objective reporting style from the 1950s to 1970s, while transitioning to more interpretive reporting in the early 1980s. (reference) the article commented on the links between the two styles, and the motivations behind the purpose of journalism in relation to market value. (reference)

The respect that is shown for the journalism profession in New Zealand places journalists as neutral mediators of reality (reference) within the nation.

Historically, journalism as a profession emerged alongside the notion of objectivity. However, in the past decades, objectivity has been dismissed not only as an unattainable standard but also as an undesirable norm. Yet an analysis of the criticisms reveals that most scholars actually fail to define journalistic objectivity. This article tries to remedy this flaw and to suggest that journalistic objectivity is an evolving notion which can no longer be considered a synonym for neutrality or detachment. Objectivity is a standard that promotes truth, defined as a ‘correspondence, grounded in correctness, between thought and reality’ (Heidegger, 1943:1). Unlike alternative standards which are centered on personal moral values, objectivity conceives of journalism as a performance, with this term referring to three interrelated dimensions: the essential notion of practice, the existence of concrete and universal criteria of evaluation, and the openness to criticisms.
The first dimension, which has been emphasized in this presentation, is the basic idea of a practice: journalism is fundamentally something you do. And indeed the phase of news gathering is evidently characterized by different practices: collecting available data; production of other data through the technique of interviewing, for instance; crosschecking of information; construction of the facts; among others. Practices are also significant during the reporting phase: selection of facts and quotations; salience given to some of these facts; presentation of the competing voices; construction of the narrative; choices of vocabulary; among others. Unlike moral values which focus on attitudes, the standard of objectivity is concerned with such practices insofar as they make it possible to reach the highest degree of correspondence between journalistic assertions and reality. (reference)

Journalists themselves seem to value the profession’s abilities to “provide objective reporting”, “influence public debate and discussion”, and communicate between the various sectors of society” (Leeland 2004 p 160 reference). These commitments are articulated through an emphasis on fairness and an insistence on a strong distinction between ‘facts’ and views’ - an empiricism that believes the “facts speak for themselves”.

We see objectivity as truth, and

This can reproduce methodologically individualist view of the world which fails to take into account of how identities are structured by social forces, including the media itself (Scooped Intro Week 2 reference).

Hirst (chapter 2) argues that the internet could encourage a more democratic, empowering model of journalism which links the blogosphere and the other user-generated news content with professional journalism in the hope that journalism achieves greater autonomy from the news media industry. (reference)

Manning (chapter 10) argues that the fourth estate model can be recalimed by an online model of citizen journalism that transcends the arid objectivity norms of mainstream journalism practises (reference) (Scooped Intro week 2)

Comment on PRESENT OR PAST journalism practices.
There is no such thing as objectivity..
Can you present the fact without adding to much personality to it?
Objectivity has become a strong, idealistic value to portray as a journalist.
Objectivity can be questioned with regard to types of journalism other than straight news reporting--it cannot even be applied to them. (reference Gauthier)
Objectivity as a method, relies on a set of rules developed through the interactions between journalists and ‘the outside world’. It regards the choice of sources, the way news is gathered, and the selection of the story telling frame. (reference)

Citizen journalism is defined as the collection, dissemination, and analysis of news and information by the general public, by the use of mobile phones, digital cameras, blogs, the internet and other new media according to the Oxford English Dictionary (reference).

Citizen journalism is an important aspect of news media because of the huge representational power that media corporations have. If companies are working to an agenda, there are issues of bias or censorship is occurring then citizen journalism can either prove “official press releases” wrong, or back them up. Additionally, as we become a more hyperlinked society, people expect news faster. Citizen journalism can assist news corporations in this role by providing footage and accounts of events to the public almost as they happen.

The rise of the “prosumer”.Prosumer = Producer & Consumer
- anyone can be a 'journalist' now. There used to be an obvious divide between 'professionals' and the 'public'
Alvin Toffler created the term ‘prosumer’ using it to define those people who produce goods and/or services for their own consumption (reference user generated branding ebook). This term has come to include many …..

Where the line between citizen journalism and professional journalism starts and ends is difficult to see. The 5 broken cameras video. filming the twister on the west coast a few days ago.

Today’s journalism practices include citizen journalism as both a source and a product…