Objectivity in journalism

As a journalist, to be objective is all about the raw truth. In David Brooks article, "Objectivity in Journalism" he describes a writer being objective to an, "Old-fashioned virtue that has to be respected above the good of partisan opinion, the reason being, that there is something that exists out there called truth."

The entire reason this statement by Brooks is so powerful revolves around the truth that it brings. Every single individual has an opinion on just about every subject out there. Whether it be hairstyles, sports teams or gardening. Everyone has an opinion and it is easy for them to generally force/express their opinion on anyone who will listen. Generally speaking, it is not a reporters job to give you their opinion. A professional reporter/journailst is there in order to give the latest news, the latest stories, and talk about things that spike other individuals interests. In doing so, it is absolutely vital for those reporters and journalists to give the raw facts, also known as the truth.

Each writer has a decision of the outcome of their story. They can choose to tell the facts that they want in order to make the outcome of the story look the way they want. They can also choose to present the facts and allow the reader to choose their own outcome. Journalism can definitely be objective and it should be objective. No one in their right minds wants to or should be manipulated or swayed into thinking a certain way. The reader wants to be able to determine their own opinion on the topic. It should be the absolute goal of every reporter and journalist to write as David Brooks said it, with the old-fashioned virtue of objectivity by presenting the unbiased facts that they are presenting.

Little white lie?

When it comes to journalism, particularly those who are Christians, when does stretching the truth, changing the story, adding details ect. become a lie? How important is it for Christian journalists to have every detail true in their writings? As the Bible talks continuously about telling the truth, and and how not doing so is a direct sin to God, it should be every Christian journalist' desire to strive for excellence in telling every aspect of the truth. In the article, "Why Tell The Truth" Joseph Stowell expounds specifically on what the Bible has to say about telling the truth. In one section of his article, Stowell talks about the spiritual consequences of lying. His first point is that the truth aligns us with God. He said, "God's intense concern for truthfulness centers on His very nature. He is the "God of truth." As Christians, it should be our purpose to first and foremost bring God praise, and in doing so align us with the nature of God which is truth. Another point Stowell gives is that we (Christians) are redeemed to reflect God's character. Christ coming to earth, and dying on the cross to redeem us was a selfless act, accepting His redeeming and becoming a Christians requires us to reflect that very same character.

There are a few different ways in which a Christian journalist can tell a lie. The first way is through beguilement. Beguilement is in short, jumping to the wrong conclusion of a story. For instance, if a writer were to assume a story were to end a certain way, and write it as such; consequently, they would be lying. Another way would be deceit, now this one is certainly a no brainer. Just as Judas deceived the Lord so do reporters deceive their readers by using crafty words in order to have them believe something that is untrue. Another one would be just lying. Lying straight about facts such as dates, times, or even names of people involved. The final way is by bearing false witness. This ones a little more tricky. A way a reporter can lie by bearing false witness is when they are bearing it against another person. For instance, when writing a story about any individual if the journalist writes a false testimony of individual, they are indeed lying.

All of these different ways and more are ways that reporters, even Christian reporters and journalists are lying constantly. As Christians, it's vital to hold to the integrity Christ calls the church to in not only telling the truth ourselves, but helping others, such as the people we work with or the company we work for to do the same.