A key aspect of early journalism was to stay neutral in order to boost credibility. Even though journalists transform events into stories, they generally believe that they are—or should be—neutral observers who present facts without hinting at their personal views or beliefs. However, objectivity in journalism is decreasing greatly, especially with regards to political parties. From a business perspective, appealing to the widest audience no longer makes the most economic sense. Washington Post columnist Bob Levey tells The Commonwealth Times that there is a modern breed of readers who use news as a way to confirm their beliefs rather than challenge them.
People today prefer partisan based news over traditional, neutral news which is why networks like Fox News and MSNBC are so popular. Their established political views shape the way they report on events and in response, draw in a larger audience. Does this subjectivity make news more trustworthy, though? Justin Buchler, a writer for Business Insider, doesn’t seem to think so. He writes that nonpartisan journalists aim to criticize the validity of the subject matter, while partisan journalists will always criticize the opposing party. This makes it difficult for an uninformed voter to distinguish what is actually true and what is being fabricated to seem true. He says, “If a media outlet says that Trump lies more than Clinton, does that mean he is more dishonest or that the media outlet is a liberal one?” This blurred ideology is only going to grow greater as time goes on. A preference for partisan news over nonpartisan news is already extremely present, and Buchler seems to think this preference will only grow greater during Trump’s time as President. Subjective news has contributed to the nation’s extreme political divide, and Trump being an immensely controversial figure will only cause partisanship in journalism to intensify.
What does this mean for aspiring journalists? We already know that print journalism is a dying industry and journalism via the Internet is on the rise with sites like Wordpress and our very own The Odyssey. Aspiring journalists may need to learn that writing impartially is no longer what readers want. Readers want to read an article with a clear viewpoint written by a strong headed, opinionated writer. This will shape the way we teach journalism, the way we learn journalism, and the way we practice journalism.
