Objectivity; journalism; controversy

It is evident that the concept of objectivity is a controversial one in the field of Journalism. Why is this so? Accuracy and clarity! In today’s society people look at the media as a reliable source to find accurate information and that is why accuracy is extremely important, perhaps the most important out of the two. In journalism people want the true story based on external reality and not written based on internal emotions. Is that why most newspapers have an opinion section? Maybe! Clarity is also important and must be a goal that a writer of mass media shouldn’t take lightly. According to Stovall, “facts that are unclearly presented are of little use to the reader,” a thought I definitely agree with. One who takes an initiative to write for the mass media should understand that they should not only be experts in the English language; but, understand the proper way of structuring a story.

In journalism and the mass media a strong sense of professionalism has increased. In this professionalism one must know what conventions and rules are acceptable for this specific medium, for example the inverted pyramid. If you read an article in any newspaper most likely the journalist wrote it using the inverted pyramid technique. I have learned that subjectivity is very rare in this form of writing. The most important information comes first and then you can get into specifics, which leaves little room for subjectivity and plenty of room for objectivity. When reading a news article I always want to read the facts. If I want to read any opinions I simply turn to the opinion section.