Objectivity (journalism) facts for kids
Objectivity is a super important idea in journalism. It means telling a story in a way that is fair and can be trusted. Think of it like a referee in a sports game – they need to be fair to both teams!
When people talk about objectivity, they might mean a few different things:
- Fairness: This means making sure that all important sides of a story are shown. If there's a disagreement, a journalist tries to show what each side thinks.
- Disinterestedness: This means the people telling the story (the journalists) stay neutral. They don't let anyone involved in the story try to change what they report.
- Factuality: This means the story is based on facts. These facts should be able to be checked by other people to make sure they are true.
- Nonpartisanship: This means not taking sides, especially in political matters. A journalist tries to report what happened without showing a preference for one political group or idea.
The people who decide what news gets published, like the editorial board at a newspaper or TV station, choose what information to share. Sometimes, their choices might lean towards a certain idea or belief. This is called bias.
Some types of journalism are called "advocacy journalism." This is when a story openly supports a particular idea or cause. These stories might be news or analysis, and they might not always be completely objective.
What Does Objectivity Mean?
Most journalists know it's really hard to be totally neutral or completely without any personal feelings. But they still try their best to keep their own opinions out of their news reports.
A smart person named Michael Schudson once said that believing in objectivity means you trust facts more than personal feelings. It's about keeping facts and feelings separate. In places like the United States, an objective story often tries to find a middle ground between different strong political ideas.
Imagine a journalist who just arrived from another planet and knows nothing about human behavior. They would have no opinions at all! While it's almost impossible for a human journalist to be that unbiased, the idea is to get as close as possible to just reporting the facts without personal views getting in the way.
See Also
- Objectivity
- Objectivity (philosophy) for a general discussion of objectivity
- Objectivity (science)
