"I think perfect objectivity is an unrealistic goal; fairness, however, is not"
-Michael Pollan
Objectivity, in its simplest form means: expressing or dealing with facts or conditions without distorting them by personal opinion or bias. In the media, objectivity means reporting a story or facts without allowing personal bias or opinion influence the report. The issue of objectivity is important in the media because it is often difficult to tell where the line is crossed between fact and opinion, which can skew the information being delivered to the public. Also, a lack of objectivity in the media can cause the reporters or people preparing the reports to leave out crucial information that may give the story a different meaning. When it comes to the field of photography, objectivity or a lack there of can affect how a photographer frames a picture and therefore what is shown to the public. For example, a photographer that agrees with those protesting the war during a war protest turned violent might chose to focus on the brutality of the police arresting people rather than also focusing on the protesters throwing things at the cops.
Overall, objectivity is an issue of ethics. By choosing to be a journalist or a photographer for the mass media, that person technically should be giving up any right to let their personal opinions and biases affect the information that they deliver to the public. The reporters and journalists are trusted by the public to provide the most complete and truthful information to the public. They are trusted to not allow their biases cloud the information in anyway that may alter its meaning. However, with this trust, members of the media are not required by law to remain objective. Instead, they are bound by a code of ethics, and mostly by their own consciouses. It is up to the media person, themselves, to decide what to do with the trust they have been given by the public.
Beginnings:
The issue of objectivity has been around since the very beginnings of media itself. As the first newspapers were being published, the most exciting and interesting pieces of writing were the opinion pieces on the government officals. These were clearly examples of when opinion takes over fact. Also, these pieces were notorious for their exaggerations in order to move the readers. However, the colonists reading these papers were so shocked by the invention of movable type that they assumed anything being printed was true.
Example:
A perfect example of how lack of objectivity within the media can alter a story is the Kent State University, May 4, 1970 tragedy. On May 4, 1970, the National Guard, which was stationed on the Kent State University campus in order to quell anti-war riots, fired into a peaceful protest of students, wounding nine and killing four in the matter of thirteen seconds. News of this tragedy quickly traveled across the country, spreading outrage through the public. However, as the events leading up to shootings unfolded, it was clear that the students had also made some mistakes along the way. For a complete description of the May 4 events and the days leading up to it, check out the Kent May 4 Center. This story, due to its violent nature and many events, would be an easy one to let bias interfere. Here are ways the story could have been presented...
1- If a photographer covering the events of May 4 and the days leading up to it, was biased against the students, they may focus on the negative actions of students. This bias could stem from feelings of resentment towards "hippies" or war protests and could easily affect the way that a photographer chose to frame their photographs.
On May 2, 1970, the students of Kent State University set the ROTC building on fire
During the day's events, students threw stones at the National Guard
2- If a photographer covering the events of May 4, was biased against the National Guard due to anti-war feelings of their own, they may choose to focus solely on the actions of the National Guard. This bias would cause the photographer to focus on the destruction and pain that was caused throughout that day. By doing so, the photographer could be essentially with-holding information from the public by not displaying the events in their entirety.
The National Guards charging up the hill and firing towards the Prentice parking lot
This Pulitizer Prize winning photograph captured the pain of the Kent State student body
Current Industry:
The incidents at Kent State University are a perfect example of how a personal bias can get in the way of how an incident can be covered by a photographer. Not only can a photographer or photojournalist chose what they focus on based off of personal opinions, but they can also frame the shot to leave important components out. Unfortunately, lack of objectivity is a growing problem in the media as a whole. This problem is more easily noticable in networks themselves, such as Fox News, which is accused of being conservative and CNN, which is accused of being liberal. As a media consumer today, the most important thing to realize when viewing a news photograph, is that perhaps it does not capture the whole picture. It may feature the truth, but how much of it? In order to be media literate, these questions must be asked and asked often while emerged in media.
Objectivity
"I think perfect objectivity is an unrealistic goal; fairness, however, is not"
-Michael Pollan
Objectivity, in its simplest form means: expressing or dealing with facts or conditions without distorting them by personal opinion or bias. In the media, objectivity means reporting a story or facts without allowing personal bias or opinion influence the report. The issue of objectivity is important in the media because it is often difficult to tell where the line is crossed between fact and opinion, which can skew the information being delivered to the public. Also, a lack of objectivity in the media can cause the reporters or people preparing the reports to leave out crucial information that may give the story a different meaning. When it comes to the field of photography, objectivity or a lack there of can affect how a photographer frames a picture and therefore what is shown to the public. For example, a photographer that agrees with those protesting the war during a war protest turned violent might chose to focus on the brutality of the police arresting people rather than also focusing on the protesters throwing things at the cops.
Overall, objectivity is an issue of ethics. By choosing to be a journalist or a photographer for the mass media, that person technically should be giving up any right to let their personal opinions and biases affect the information that they deliver to the public. The reporters and journalists are trusted by the public to provide the most complete and truthful information to the public. They are trusted to not allow their biases cloud the information in anyway that may alter its meaning. However, with this trust, members of the media are not required by law to remain objective. Instead, they are bound by a code of ethics, and mostly by their own consciouses. It is up to the media person, themselves, to decide what to do with the trust they have been given by the public.
Beginnings:
The issue of objectivity has been around since the very beginnings of media itself. As the first newspapers were being published, the most exciting and interesting pieces of writing were the opinion pieces on the government officals. These were clearly examples of when opinion takes over fact. Also, these pieces were notorious for their exaggerations in order to move the readers. However, the colonists reading these papers were so shocked by the invention of movable type that they assumed anything being printed was true.
Example:
A perfect example of how lack of objectivity within the media can alter a story is the Kent State University, May 4, 1970 tragedy. On May 4, 1970, the National Guard, which was stationed on the Kent State University campus in order to quell anti-war riots, fired into a peaceful protest of students, wounding nine and killing four in the matter of thirteen seconds. News of this tragedy quickly traveled across the country, spreading outrage through the public. However, as the events leading up to shootings unfolded, it was clear that the students had also made some mistakes along the way. For a complete description of the May 4 events and the days leading up to it, check out the Kent May 4 Center. This story, due to its violent nature and many events, would be an easy one to let bias interfere. Here are ways the story could have been presented...
1- If a photographer covering the events of May 4 and the days leading up to it, was biased against the students, they may focus on the negative actions of students. This bias could stem from feelings of resentment towards "hippies" or war protests and could easily affect the way that a photographer chose to frame their photographs.
2- If a photographer covering the events of May 4, was biased against the National Guard due to anti-war feelings of their own, they may choose to focus solely on the actions of the National Guard. This bias would cause the photographer to focus on the destruction and pain that was caused throughout that day. By doing so, the photographer could be essentially with-holding information from the public by not displaying the events in their entirety.
Current Industry:
The incidents at Kent State University are a perfect example of how a personal bias can get in the way of how an incident can be covered by a photographer. Not only can a photographer or photojournalist chose what they focus on based off of personal opinions, but they can also frame the shot to leave important components out. Unfortunately, lack of objectivity is a growing problem in the media as a whole. This problem is more easily noticable in networks themselves, such as Fox News, which is accused of being conservative and CNN, which is accused of being liberal. As a media consumer today, the most important thing to realize when viewing a news photograph, is that perhaps it does not capture the whole picture. It may feature the truth, but how much of it? In order to be media literate, these questions must be asked and asked often while emerged in media.
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Sources:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/objectivity
Journalism Practice; April 2010, Vol. 4 Issue 2, p143-162, 20p
Canadian Journal of Communication; 2010, Vol. 35 Issue 1, p63-83, 21p
Columbia Journalism Review; Mar/April 2010, Vol. 48 Issue 6, p26-32, p7
International Communication Gazette; Feb2010, Vol. 72 Issue 1, p85-90, p6
http://www.may4.org/information/kent-state-1970-description-of-events-may-1-through-may-4.html