J-Schools Canada | 4. Let’s discuss

30 May 4. Let’s discuss

Posted at 14:22h in How personal is too personal? Should journalists be allowed to express their own views and opinions? Ahmar Khan’s story. by jscho618

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Should the definitions of objectivity and impartiality evolve? If so, how?
Can journalists express personal views on matters of social justice and still be considered objective and impartial?
Would readers/listeners/viewers still trust journalists’ coverage of these issues?

Social media platforms have become prominent places to discuss social justice issues – issues such as Indigenous, gender and racial discrimination. The emergence of these platforms dovetails with the fact that a new generation of journalists from diverse backgrounds is entering newsrooms – younger journalists accustomed to making their views known on social media.

Indeed, Ahmar Khan’s case can be read as a microcosm of this bigger issue confronting newsrooms everywhere, as a generation of younger journalists increasingly push back on restrictions about posting their personal views on social media, where those personal views touch on matters of great importance to their lived experience. And at the heart of this bigger issue, are questions about how to interpret and apply the principles of objectivity and impartiality.

Jay Rosen, a New York University journalism professor, questioned the notions of impartiality and objectivity, (objectivity is also sometimes referred to as ‘the view from nowhere’) in a 2013 interview with the New York Times. “The grounds for trust are slowly shifting….The View from Nowhere is slowly getting harder to trust, and ‘Here’s where I’m coming from’ is more likely to be trusted.”¹ Rosen touched on a major concern for media these days, as journalists around the world face a crisis of eroding trust in media.

American public relations consultancy firm Edelman has been studying public trust levels in institutions including media, for the past two decades. In its latest trust barometer report from 2021, it found waning trust in media across the world. Edelman puts out separate country reports as part of its annual trust barometer. It found the Canadian public have more trust in the media than in many other countries, such as in the US, but Edelman still found a record low of 55% of Canadians surveyed who said they trusted the media. That’s down from 71% in 2012. The Edelman 2021 trust barometer also reported that, in Canada, 52% of those surveyed agree that, “the media is not doing well at being objective and non-partisan” ²

Trust is closely linked to the concepts of objectivity and impartiality, because trust has to do with perceived credibility. For journalists, credibility is everything and this – takes us to the other side of the argument. As the associate managing editor for standards at the New York Times put it: “I flatly reject the notion that there is no such thing as impartial, objective journalism — that it’s some kind of pretense or charade, and we should just give it up, come clean and lay out our biases…. We expect professionals in all sorts of fields to put their personal opinions aside, or keep them to themselves, when they do their work — judges, police officers, scientists, teachers. Why would we expect less of journalists?”³

So, can journalists express personal views on matters of social justice and still be considered objective and impartial? Can journalists express personal views on matters of social justice and still be considered credible? Will readers/listeners/viewers mistrust journalists if they do so?

These are not easy questions! In considering your response, it may be helpful to look at how one other major media organisation has approached this. In 2021, National Public Radio (NPR) updated its ethics handbook in part, to reflect and respond to the ongoing debate about these issues. In writing about the policy updates, NPR’s public editor, well known journalism ethics expert Kelly McBride, acknowledged the pressure on newsrooms to allow journalists more freedom to express personal opinions. “This pressure on news companies to allow their journalists a wider berth to participate in civic activities has been building over the years, particularly as social media has made direct engagement with audiences — sometimes rich, sometimes messy — part of the day-to-day workflow. As social justice causes took to the platforms, journalists were often caught in a new gray area between longtime professional practices and mores around personal communication. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, a younger generation of journalists pushed NPR to modify its traditional prohibitions.”⁴

According to the updated policy, news editorial staff are not permitted to express opinions on political or legislative matters, but elsewhere, more space is allowed for editorial staff to express personal opinions. “NPR editorial staff may express support for democratic, civic values that are core to NPR’s work, such as, but not limited to: the freedom and dignity of human beings, the rights of a free and independent press, the right to thrive in society without facing discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, disability, or religion.”⁵

“This policy confronts the generations-old question in newsrooms: Where does the journalist end and the citizen begin?’” McBride writes, although she admits not every one in NPR agrees with the changes. McBride says some believe the changes go too far, and some believe they don’t go far enough.⁶

What do you think? Do NPR’s 2021 changes allow for the concepts of impartiality and objectivity in journalism to evolve such that journalists can express some personal opinions but still maintain the trust of their audience?

Where does the journalist end and the citizen begin?

1
Sullivan, Margaret. “When Reporters Get Personal.” New York Times, 5 January, 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/public-editor/when-reporters-get-personal.html
2
“Country Report: Trust In Canada: Edelman Trust Barometer 2021” Edelman, 17 February 2021, https://www.edelman.ca/sites/g/files/aatuss376/files/trust-barometer/2021%20Canadian%20Edelman%20Trust%20Barometer.pdf
3
— “When Reporters Get Personal.” New York Times, 5 January, 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/public-editor/when-reporters-get-personal.html
4
McBride, Kelly. “New NPR Ethics Policy: It’s OK for Journalists to Demonstrate (Sometimes).” NPR, 29 July 2021, https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2021/07/29/1021802098/new-npr-ethics-policy-its-ok-for-journalists-to-demonstrate-sometimes
5
“NPR Ethics Handbook.” NPR, July 2021, https://www.npr.org/ethics
6
—“New NPR Ethics Policy: It’s OK for Journalists to Demonstrate (Sometimes).” NPR, 29 July 2021,