PRESENTATION ON “OBJECTIVITY

Submitted by: M.USAMA MANSOOR 110603010

M.ABDULLAH 110603004

SYED ALI HASAN 110603002

SUBMITTED TO : MR. AHMAD SHEIKH

COURSE: NEWS TECHNIQUES

GROUP MEMBERS

M.USAMA MANSOOR 110603010

M.ABDULLAH CHAUDHRY 110603004

SYED ALI HASAN 110603002

OBJECTIVITY

"Last year, handguns killed 48 people in Japan, 8 in Great Britain, 34 in Switzerland, 52 in Canada, 58 in Israel, 21 in Sweden, 42 in West Germany and 10,728 in the United States." (A face book post)

You hear it all the time – reporters should be objective and fair.

Some news organizations even use these terms in their slogans, claimed that they are more “fair and balanced” than their competitors.

But what is objectivity, and what does it mean to be fair and balanced?

WHAT IS OBJECTIVITY AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

OBJECTIVITY

Objectivity means that when covering hard news, reporters don’t convey their own feelings, biases or prejudices in their stories.

They accomplish this by writing stories using a language that is neutral and avoids characterizing people or institutions in ways good or bad.

But for the beginning reporter accustomed to writing personal essays or journal entries, it can be hard to keep one’s own feelings out of one’s stories because all of us are from different backgrounds, cultural and religious.

Reporters sometimes have no choice left to use adjectives. Adjectives can easily convey one’s feelings about a subject, subconsciously or otherwise.

EXAMPLE

The intrepid (fearless) protesters demonstrated against the unjust government policies.

Just by using the words “intrepid” and “unjust” the writer has quickly conveyed his feelings on the story – the protesters are brave and just in their cause, the government policies are wrong.

For this reason, hard-news reporters usually avoid using adjectives in their stories.

FAIRNESS

Fairness means that reporters covering a story must remember there are usually two sides – and often more.

To most issues, and that those differing viewpoints should be given roughly equal space in any news story.

Let’s say the local school board is holding a public forum examining whether to ban certain books from the school libraries.

Many people from the community are in attendance, and there are citizens representing both sides of the issue.

The reporter covering that event may have strong feelings about the subject.

But regardless of his feelings, he should interview both those citizens who support the ban, and those who oppose it.

And when he writes his story, he should convey both arguments in a neutral language, giving both sides roughly equal space in his story.

A REPORTER’S CONDUCT

Objectivity and fairness apply not only to how a reporter writes about an issue, but also to how he conducts himself in public.

That means a reporter must not only be objective and fair but also convey an image of being objective and fair.

Let’s go back to that school board forum. The reporter may do his level best to interview people from both sides of the argument, but if, in the middle of the meeting, he stands up and starts spouting his own opinions on the book ban then his credibility is shattered.

No one will believe he can be fair and objective once they know where he stands on the issue. So keep your opinions to yourself. Don’t editorialize.

A CODE OF CONDUCT FOR REPORTERS.

Always clearly identify yourself as a reporter whenever you're interviewing someone. Never try to deceive or mislead anyone.

Always make it clear to people you're interviewing that you're writing an article that could be published.

Always be polite and courteous with people you're interviewing, even if they are not.

Never get into verbal or physical confrontations with people you're interviewing. If someone you're interviewing becomes agitated or threatening, leave immediately.

Never state your opinions or inject yourself into any event you cover, such as protests, rallies or public comment forums. As a reporter you're there as a professional observer, not a participant.

If someone tries to offer you a bribe or incentive in exchange for writing a favorable article about them, refuse. Let your editor know what has happened.

A FEW CAVEATS (CAUTIONS)

There are a few caveats to remember when considering objectivity and fairness.

First, such rules apply to reporters covering so-called hard news, or straight news stories, for the main news section of the newspaper or website. Obviously they don’t apply to the political columnist writing for the op-ed page, or to the movie critic working for the arts section, both of whom make a living giving their opinions on a daily basis.

Second, remember that ultimately, reporters are in search of the truth.

And while objectivity and fairness are important, a reporter shouldn’t let them get in the way of finding the truth.

Here’s an extreme example: Let’s say you’re a reporter covering war conflict zone in Afghanistan following the Allied forces attack to librates their allies or capture high sensitive area.

You enter one such hideout and witness hundreds of , emaciated (thin) people and piles of dead bodies everywhere.

Do you, in an effort to be objective, interview an American soldier to talk about how horrific this is, and then interview a opponent commander to get the other side of the story? Of course not.

Clearly, this is a place where evil acts have been committed, and it’s your job as a reporter to convey that truth.

In other words, use objectivity and fairness as tools to find the truth. That’s your goal as a reporter.

STAGES OF OBJECTIVITY

There are four Stages of Objectivity Negative capacity Modesty The ability to process data To betray friends

NEGATIVE CAPACITY

The ability to suspend judgment while you're looking at the facts.

Sometimes when we look at a set of facts, we like to choose the facts that make us feel good because it confirms our worldview.

But if you're going to be objective-and this is for journalists or anybody else-surely the first stage is the ability to look at all the facts, whether they make you feel good or not. 

MODESTY

And here I think one of the great models of journalism is someone we just saw at a Senate confirmation hearing-Chief Justice John Roberts.

He was asked by the Senators to emote.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, for instance, asked him how he would react as a father to a certain case.

It was as if she and other Senators wanted him to weep on camera.

They wanted him to do the sentimental thing, in order to make them feel that he was one of them.

But he absolutely refused, because his ethos as a lawyer and as a judge is not about self-exposure. It's about self-control.

It's about playing a role in society-a socially useful role. Roberts kept explaining that judges wear black robes because it's not about them; it's not about narcissism. It's about doing a job for society.

Judges have to suppress some of themselves in order to read the law fairly and not prejudge cases. 

The same thing has to happen for journalists. We live in an age of self-exposure.

But journalists have to suppress their egos so that they can see the whole truth, whether they like it or not. 

THE ABILITY TO PROCESS DATA

To take all the facts that you've accumulated and honestly process them into a pattern.

This is a mysterious activity called judgment.

How do you take all the facts that are in front of you and fit them into one pattern? If you pick up a cup of coffee, one part of your brain senses how heavy it is.

Another part of your brain senses how hot it is.

Another part of your brain senses the shape of the cup.

Another part of your brain knows that you're shaking, which creates ripples across the surface of the coffee.

All these parts are disconnected and we have no idea how the human brain processes that information.

But some people are really good at connecting the dots and seeing the patterns and other people are not.

And surely that's the third stage of objectivity-the ability to take all the data, not just the data you like, and form it into a generalizable whole. 

TO BETRAY FRIENDS

Loyalty to the truth

Loyalty to your team

In government, loyalty to your team is sometimes more important than loyalty to the truth.

If you're a U.S. Senator, you can't tell the truth all the time.

If you work for an administration, you can't tell the truth all the time, because government is a team sport.

The only way you can get something done is collectively-as a group.

It takes a majority to pass a piece of legislation. It takes an administration working together to promulgate a policy.

And that's fine.

Politicians betray the truth all the time in favor of loyalty to a higher good for them.

But for journalists and for most citizens, loyalty to the truth should supplant loyalty to the team.

A JOURNALIST EXAMPLE

when I came to the New York Times, there was a guy at the Times named Paul Krugman writing against President Bush twice a week. I had to decide whether I wanted to be the anti-Krugman and write pro-Bush columns every week. It would have been good for the team. But I decided it wouldn't be good for the truth. So I decided not to do that.