Media

The Double Standard About Bias in Journalism I made The New York Times last week. It even ran my picture. My mother would be proud. Unfortunately, the story was critical. Which "critics" had "leaped"? It is odd that this is a news story. But in August, I worked for ABC News. It reminds me of something that happened earlier in my career. I was one of America's first TV consumer reporters. I clearly had a point of view: I was a crusader out to punish corporate bullies. Then, gradually, I figured out that business, for the most part, treats consumers pretty well. As a local TV reporter, I could find plenty of crooks. I figured out why: Market forces, even when hampered by government, keep scammers in check. It made me want to learn more about free markets. My reporting changed. Suddenly, I wasn't so popular with them. I stopped winning Emmys.

How To Detect Bias In News Media Journalists Denying Liberal Bias, Part One In spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many journalists still refuse to acknowledge that most of the establishment media tilts to the left. Examples: “I can see how the intensity of coverage on certain issues may, to some people, seem to reflect a liberal point of view. But I actually don’t think it does.”— New York Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson talking about her newspaper’s political slant in an interview with the New Republic’s Michael Kinsley, August 20, 2013. “It’s silly that there’s a liberal bias in media. Obviously, there are liberal voices and there are conservative voices. “My work has been so cleansed, as I see it, and as I’ve tried, of political opinions over 27 years.... “I know that it’s widely believed that CBS, NBC, ABC chock full of liberals. “Most of us, do not — you don’t know whether we’re Republicans or Democrats or exhibitionists.”— Co-host Barbara Walters on ABC’s The View, April 9, 2012. “As Mrs. "I ask people just to look at my body of work.

Principles of Journalism The first three years of the Project’s work involved listening and talking with journalists and others around the country about what defines the work. What emerged out of those conversations are the following nine core principles of journalism: 1. Democracy depends on citizens having reliable, accurate facts put in a meaningful context. 2. While news organizations answer to many constituencies, including advertisers and shareholders, the journalists in those organizations must maintain allegiance to citizens and the larger public interest above any other if they are to provide the news without fear or favor. 3. Journalists rely on a professional discipline for verifying information. 4. Independence is an underlying requirement of journalism, a cornerstone of its reliability. 5. Journalism has an unusual capacity to serve as watchdog over those whose power and position most affect citizens. 6. 7. Journalism is storytelling with a purpose. 8. 9.

SPJ Code of Ethics SPJ Code of Ethics Revised September 6, 2014 at 4:49 p.m. CT at SPJ’s National Convention in Nashville, Tenn. Download a printable copy [PDF]:8.5x11 flyer | 11x17 poster | Two-sided bookmark Preamble Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The Society declares these four principles as the foundation of ethical journalism and encourages their use in its practice by all people in all media. The SPJ Code of Ethics is a statement of abiding principles supported by explanations and position papers that address changing journalistic practices. For an expanded explanation, please follow this link. Supporting documents Click or tap the arrow icon anywhere it appears in the code to explore additional resources the Society’s ethics committee compiled to help people with day-to-day ethics decisions. Additional applications – Case Studies – Committee Position Papers Translations Seek Truth andReport It

Rethinking Objective Journalism | Media July 8, 2003 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. In his Mar. 6 press conference, in which he laid out his reasons for the coming war, President Bush mentioned al Qaeda or the attacks of Sept. 11 fourteen times in fifty-two minutes. When Bush proposed his $726 billion tax cut in January, his sales pitch on the plan's centerpiece -- undoing the "double-taxation" on dividend earnings -- was that "It's unfair to tax money twice." Before the fighting started in Iraq, in the dozens of articles and broadcasts that addressed the potential aftermath of a war, much was written and said about the maneuverings of the Iraqi exile community, the shape of a postwar government, and the cost and duration and troop numbers. That all changed on Feb. 26, when President Bush spoke grandly of making Iraq a model for retooling the entire Middle East. Or did it? Tripping Toward the Truth As E.J. An Ideal's Troubled Past The More Things Change

The Invention of Journalism Ethics: The Path to Objectivity and Beyond - UBC Reports UBC Reports | Vol. 50 | No. 10 | Nov. 4, 2004 By Stephen J. Ward (McGill-Queen's University Press) In his new book, Stephen Ward, an associate professor at the the School of Journalism, examines journalism ethics through philosophical and historical lenses. The following is an excerpt. This book brings a philosophical and historical perspective to the study of journalism ethics. I call the framework a rhetorical theory of value change in journalism. The model explains the ethical assertions of journalists as forms of persuasive speech, which employ the strategies and objectives of rhetoric. I became entangled in the web of ideas that surrounds objectivity as a foreign reporter for the Canadian Press News Agency based in London during the first half of the 1990s. My reporting on war, ethnic hatred, social injustice and radically different cultures raised questions about the universality and appropriateness of objectivity in journalism.

Objectivity (journalism) Journalistic objectivity is a significant principle of journalistic professionalism. Journalistic objectivity can refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and nonpartisanship, but most often encompasses all of these qualities. Definitions[edit] Sociologist Michael Schudson argues that "the belief in objectivity is a faith in 'facts,' a distrust in 'values,' and a commitment to their segregation."[1] It does not refer to the prevailing ideology of newsgathering and reporting that emphasizes eyewitness accounts of events, corroboration of facts with multiple sources and balance of viewpoints. Criticisms[edit] Advocacy journalists and civic journalists criticize the understanding of objectivity as neutrality or nonpartisanship, arguing that it does a disservice to the public because it fails to attempt to find truth. Historical (including social and cultural) factors have also shaped objectivity in journalism, as acknowledged and addressed in peace journalism. Alternatives[edit]

Glasser By objectivity I mean a particular view of journalism and the press, a frame of reference used by journalists to orient themselves in the newsroom and in the community. By objectivity I mean, to a degree, ideology; where ideology is defined as a set of beliefs that function as the journalist's "claim to action." As a set of beliefs, objectivity appears to be rooted in a positivist view of the world, an enduring commitment to the supremacy of observable and retrievable facts. This commitment, in turn, impinges on news organizations' principal commodity – the day's news. Thus my argument, in part, is this: Today's news is indeed biased – as it must inevitably be – and this bias can be best understood by understanding the concept, the conventions, and the ethic of objectivity. Specifically, objectivity in journalism accounts for – or at least helps us understand – three principal developments in American journalism; each of these developments contributes to the bias or ideology of news.

Objectivity in Journalism DAVID BROOKS There is some dispute about whether objectivity can really exist. How do we know the truth? Well, I’m not a relativist on the subject. I think there is truth out there and that objectivity is like virtue; it's the thing you always fall short of, but the thing you always strive toward. And by the way, I think that opinion journalists have to be objective just as much as straight reporters. What are the stages of getting to objectivity? The second stage is modesty. The same thing has to happen for journalists. The third stage of objectivity is the ability to process data — to take all the facts that you've accumulated and honestly process them into a pattern. The fourth stage of objectivity is the ability to betray friends. The fifth stage of objectivity is the ability to ignore stereotypes. And the last bit, the sixth stage is a willingness to be a little dull. I'm someone who fails every day at being objective. David Brooks. Copyright © 2006 Imprimis

Mission The Online News Association is composed largely of professional digital journalists. Founded in 1999, ONA now has more than 2,000 professional members whose principal livelihood involves gathering or producing news for digital presentation. The membership includes news writers, producers, designers, editors, photographers, technologists and others who produce news for the Internet or other digital delivery systems, as well as academic members and others interested in the development of online journalism. ONA also sponsors an annual conference focusing on the latest in journalism and technology and administers the prestigious Online Journalism Awards. The Online News Association is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. ONA is a leader in the rapidly changing world of journalism; a catalyst for innovation in story-telling across all platforms; a resource for journalists seeking guidance and growth, and a champion of best practices through training, awards and community outreach.

Interviews - Can Journalists Be Truly Objective? | News War | FRONTLINE Commentator; former adviser to President Nixon Patrick Buchanan I'm talking about conservative commentators. What? ... Are you saying that the correspondents and reporters on Fox News are objective news reporters? I'm sure some of them are. I know, but you made reference to an objective news reporter. The animal still exists. In The New York Times? Sure. So not everybody in the establishment media is a biased reporter, slanted news. ... Editor, The Washington Post Len Downie No. Instead, there's a fair way of describing your tie: I cannot say that your tie is full of spots, it is dirty and should have been laundered a long time ago, because that wouldn't be fair. So if someone says that you are a biased organization, or liberal? No. ... Managing director, Merrill Lynch Lauren Rich Fine When you do surveys, you find a lot of people who say just what you want: They want an investigative piece to come to a conclusion, to say what ought to be done, to have some kind of impact. Blogger, Power Line

Tools and Resources (for all) | NWU - National Writers Union Part I: The Origins of Copyright By J.S. Ackerman "The Copyright Office's mission is to promote creativity in society by creating and maintaining the public record through registration of claims and recordation of documents." Did you know that copyright is part of the U.S. Eighteen writers and inventors petitioned "for exclusive privileges as authors." The principle of copyright that Jefferson, Madison, and Washington agreed on is vital today: The author owns the work. The Grievance Process By the Grievance and Contracts Division, NWU Copyright © 2001 National Writers Union-UAW 1981 MW. 1.1 3/01 One of the most important member functions of the National Writers Union is to assist in pursuing grievances and in giving contract advice. But several sentences on we often hear the serious statements. As writers, we must understand that publishers do not have products without us. First, make sure your NWU membership is up-to-date. It is important that you follow the GO's advice. Join NWU.

UNT talk-Objectivity in Journalism University of North Texas Nature Writing Symposium talk: “Changing the World One Story at a Time” April 2007 Copyright © 2007 Wendee Holtcamp – bohemian@wendeeholtcamp.com Suppose you are given a bucket of water. -- Rick Bass on his dilemma to save Montana's Yaak Valley or write about it. The first time I read that quote I thought, wow, that really captures what I’ve struggled with being both a long-time environmentalist and an environmental writer. His quote refers to this dilemma in environmental journalism between getting involved, and merely writing about an issue you care passionately about. The traditional journalism code of ethics includes “truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability.” NYT “We tell our audiences the complete, unvarnished truth as best we can learn it” Today I’m going to focus on and pick apart this concept of objectivity; closely related to impartiality, or you’ll sometimes hear it called neutrality. OBJECTIVITY – What is it…?