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Transcript

Advocacy vs Objective Journalism

By: Sam Pearce and Nico Murch

Intro

Introduction

  • advocacy journalism: "a genre of journalism that combines reporting with a point of view." (Oxford Research Encyclopedia)
  • objectivity in reporting as gospel
  • scholars argue it's best for a democratic system
  • recent shift towards advocacy journalism

History

History

  • objectivity in journalism is relatively recent
  • SPJ Code of Ethics first published in 1926
  • before, journalists had much more free reign to spin things how they wanted
  • "yellow journalism" - Civil War / Spanish-American War
  • De Toqueville: objectivity in journalism is vital to democracy
  • recent trend towards advocacy: last few decades

The players

Independent journalistsPress On; an organization in the South that aims to help journalists and local media outlets produce reporting that is community driven and strives for social change.

Objective journalism is seen as the “professional standard." NPR, Associated Press, Politico and more fall in the middle of the "media bias chart"

Major Players

Froio, N. (2021, May 20). How journalists are challenging ideas of objectivity while empowering their communities. Current. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://current.org/2021/05/how-journalists-are-challenging-ideas-of-objectivity-while-empowering-their-communities/

Lewis Raven Wallace, said “I’d argue that any journalist invested in factual reporting can no longer remain neutral.”

Recent Examples

Media Examples

  • Black Press - news orgs run by and advocating for Black American issues
  • Black Enterprise, Black Voice News
  • Environmental Reporting - news orgs specifically advocating for environmental protection
  • Sierra Club publications

Advocacy is the trend

Advocacy journalism itself is the current trend that more people are gravitating towards. Objectivity has been the status quo since the early to mid 1900’s and our current idea of advocacy journalism is a recent trend starting within the last few decades.

Recent trends

This debate in journalism is no small matter, some may argue this the biggest debate in journalism right now.

Home. Independent Man. (2019, January 24). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://independentman.com.au/

This debate is happening in newsrooms all across the nation.

Out with the old?

Institutionalists

They tend to be older and were raised on objectivity being a necessary ideal for journalism and rejecting this completely is out of the question for a lot of them. The article by Intelligencer was able to summarize this entire debate in one example and frame it in a way that boils the argument down to being; new ideas versus old ideas of journalism.

In with the new?

Insurrectionists

They are trying to change the status quo and the way we think about journalism by rejecting the notion of objectivity all together. This is rooted in the ideal that all journalism takes a particular stance, no matter how objective you try to be in your writing. The mere act of reporting is essentially taking a stance because you chose to report on this thing and frame it in this way. Insurrectionists tend to be younger because they don't have any personal ties to the institution itself and are okay with a big change in professional standards.

Theories and Frameworks

Ethical Theories

  • Communitarianism: what is best for the community? Objectivity vs. advocacy
  • reporters have experiences and opinions of their own
  • importance of objective facts in decisionmaking
  • Loyalties: Loyalty to objectivity, code of ethics, vs. loyalty to personal morality and communities/identities

Out with the old.

Accuracy and facts in journalism are important, but you can still have that in advocacy journalism without giving up your own morals or casting aside your own lived experiences.

Conclusion

Until we find a solution to get rid of the current profit-driven media conglomerate model that is mainstream media; more and more citizens and journalists will turn to advocacy and independent avenues for journalism.

We have reached the conclusion that advocacy journalism is where this profession is headed.

Works Cited

Wilkins, L., Painter, C., & Patterson, P. (2022). Media ethics: Issues and cases. Rowman & Littlefield, an imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

About Us. Press On. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.presson.media/about/

Schedule. WYSO. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.wyso.org/schedule

King, A., Campbell, K., Ryan, J., & Banse, T. (n.d.). Kuow Public Radio. KUOW. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.kuow.org/

Froio, N. (2021, May 20). How journalists are challenging ideas of objectivity while empowering their communities. Current. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://current.org/2021/05/how-journalists-are-challenging-ideas-of-objectivity-while-empowering-their-communities/

Spj. (n.d.). About SPJ - Society of Professional Journalists. Society of Professional Journalists - Improving and protecting journalism since 1909. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.spj.org/spjinfo.asp

U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). U.S. Department of State. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/yellow-journalism

III, C. F. (n.d.). Yellow journalism. Yellow Journalism. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1253/yellow-journalism#:~:text=Yellow%20journalism%20usually%20refers%20to,unconventional%20techniques%20of%20their%20rivals.

Los Angeles Times. (2020, November 15). Letters to the editor: Is 'advocacy journalism' undermining public trust in the media? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-11-15/advocacy-journalism-undermining-trust-in-the-media

Cáceres, I. B. (2019, June 25). Advocacy journalism. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-776

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