The Digital Revolution and the Rise of Subjective Journalism
Traditionally, journalistic
objectivity was considered the hallmark of good journalism. The flow of news information was tightly
controlled by a journalistic elite, who was the only authority on what should
be counted as news, and how news stories should be framed. New digital technologies however, have
fundamentally changed the face of journalism. Along with the blurring of the
boundary between producers and users of news information, the notion of
objectivity as the goal of good journalism is lessening. New forms of journalism point out that
subjectivity in journalism is inevitable, and even desirable, in the new
digital environment.
Traditional Journalism and the Role of Objectivity
Journalism has traditionally been a
one-way communication from professional journalists as the sole providers of
news to a passive, silent, receiving audience. Professional journalists decided what counted
as news, who to use as sources, and how stories were framed. There was a clearly defined boundary between
who qualified as a journalist and who did not. News organizations acted as information gatekeepers,
filtering the news that reached audiences.
Professional journalist
organizations were considered the only reliable, authoritative source for news,
and objectivity was considered the only way to provide factual, accurate and
legitimate reporting. Any news story in
which the journalist might become too personal, or go beyond reporting ‘just
the facts’ to present a particular point of view, was discarded. Subjective journalism, such as citizen
journalism or activism journalism, was considered biased or one-sided.
The New Digital Environment and the Rise of Subjectivity
Today’s journalism has undergone a
radical transformation. As journalism
has become a collaborative dialogue and the line between producer and user has
begun to blur, the traditional journalistic ideal of objectivity has given way
to a new acceptance of the value of subjectivity in journalism.
The Internet and social media have
transformed the one-way nature of journalism and news organizations are relying
more and more on user-generated content. New technology facilitates instantaneous
transmission of data. For example, activists
in Syria or the Ukraine can tweet messages around the world, and protesters can
upload photos and videos directly to Facebook or personal blogs. Users can interact with each other and with
journalists on a scale not seen before.
The news has become a collaborative dialogue in which users can produce
and share news outside the confines of conventional journalism.
Multiple versions of the same story
and multiple points of views are a natural fact in the new digital landscape. Different accounts, different
camera shots and videos, and different perspectives on a particular news story
can be simultaneously uploaded to YouTube, Twitter or Flickr. Because people rely on multiple
sources, audiences can compare different stories and photos of the same event,
and see the differences. News consumers
assume that information comes from different sources, and that all information
serves an interest. Platforms such as
the Internet that allow for multiple points of view are perceived as legitimate
and are popular with audiences.
Journalism with a clear point of view is more convincing and engaging
than dispassionate reporting, and increasing value is placed on the personal
perspective of the reporter.
In this new environment,
professional journalists are shifting from objective journalism towards more
subjective, activist journalism. The
Society of Professional Journalists, for example, removed the term
‘objectivity’ from its codes of ethic in 1996 and changed ‘seeking the truth’ to simply “seeking
truth”. Several prominent
foreign correspondents have questioned the value of objectivity. The BBC’s Martin Bell, for example, rejected
the “dispassionate practices of the past” and maintained that he was “no longer
sure what ‘objective’ means”. According
to Bell, ‘objectivity’ required him to take a neutral stance between “good and evil, victim and oppressor”. CNN’s Christine Amanpour equated being
objective to being neutral, which meant “accomplice to all sorts of evil”. It is no secret that every journalist has
their own point of view, and journalists admit that being completely biased-free
is almost impossible.
The rise of Citizen journalism has further
challenged the importance of journalistic objectivity. Newer and cheaper technology has allowed
citizens to do more than just passively receive news from mainstream news
outlets. Citizen journalists take an active role in producing journalism and unlike
traditional journalists who maintain a professional distance from the stories
they cover, citizen journalists may become part of the news story and relate
their personal experiences in depth.
Citizen journalists may be the first to report on an event, and they may
have more freedom than traditional journalists. Subjectivity makes citizen journalism more
personal and engaging, and adds a much needed human element.
A common criticism of subjective journalism is that it is too opinionated, and lacks professionalism. Citizen journalists, for example, cannot be
relied upon to double check their facts or to present two sides of every story, or to adhere to professional ethical standards of accuracy and
truthfulness. Proponents of objectivity
assert that journalism may lose its credibility without objectivity. According to some, objectivity is what
defines good journalism and what separates professional journalism from
non-experts or amateurs.
Conclusion
Technological
changes have transformed journalism, and allowed for a new understanding of the role of subjectivity in journalism. Audiences are no longer passive and silent
recipients of news information, but have become important players in an ongoing
collaborative dialogue. Journalists are
recognizing the power of their own voice, and the importance of not only
reporting the truth, but in taking a stance on important issues. And citizen journalists are becoming both
reporters of the news, as well as active members of society, making changes in
their communities and empowering others to do the same by sharing their
stories and their experiences.
Journalism is undergoing rapid changes, but the transformations are
pointing towards a new and bright future for journalism and for those who are
passionate about not only reporting the facts of the story, but becoming
active, engaged, and impassioned members of the societies in which they live.
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