Independence and Journalism

As mentioned often in class, journalists need to stay clear of their personal bias. It is the responsibility of journalists to inform the public, but they cannot play of the part of an activist. As mentioned in the text, “Journalists must maintain an independence from those they cover,” (Kovach 118). Some may wonder why this is a big deal? By having a connection with the subject you are covering it creates a conflict and change in how it is covered. Some may think that a journalist may make a story sound better than it is. As mentioned in class, two female reporters were taken off a story about lesbian relations after they married each other. They were probably taken off the story because it was felt that they would highlight parts of the story and shun others. It is interesting that this is what journalists do in every story, but when it is visible and evident that there is a bias, they do not let the people wwork on it.
One aspect of journalistic biases that people probably don’t think about is that sometimes when they have a connection to something, they may try to overpower that bias and try to hard not to show it. I do some work for a television station. One of my responsibilities is to commentate for high school football games. One challenge is that my brother is on the team. I don’t want to show my bias towards my brother that I enjoy and love, so I often downplay his prefrormance to not make it seem like I favor him. Whether I favor him or not, I am not being truthful in how I interpret what happens in the game. The following link shows a time where I interviewed him for being awarded Defensive Player of the Game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKnPUCI5t8o. We have a great relationship, but this sequence was awkward for us. We didn’t really know how to act and because we didn’t think that we could be ourselves. As I tried to not show bias I underplayed his performance in the game.
Journalists have a powerful influence to the public. They often know more than the public of certain topics and they are able to inform us. It is important that journalists keep allegiance to the core journalism principles, but some feel that Americans are ready for a less objective, partisan journalism. Talk shows and other opinionated news sources have become very popular; especially with the youth of today. Partisan journalism is closer to the style done in other parts of the world, and they would be popular in the United States as well. (http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Objective-Journalism-Vs-Partisan-Journalism/102448). People are more inclined to opinions today and like the fight that comes from debating. The listeners or readers of journalism need to realize the opinions of journalists as the push opinions, factions, or propaganda. The important part of this section is the responsibility of journalists to keep themselves from things that they live, are in charge of, or are involved in. It makes it difficult for the journalist to not share too much or to share too little.