[Hemingway's Ghost]

Nice piece.

It bears repeating: Objective journalism is an illusion. A reporter may try to be objective, and in many cases may approach an objective viewpoint, but the mere process of observing and reporting upon those observations is subjective. It's human nature and it cannot be avoided---nor should it be, really, because the subjective opinion of the reporter often provides the slant that makes the story compelling.

C-SPAN probably comes the closest to objective journalism when they plant a camera and let their viewers observe the action.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Objective journalism is an illusion. A reporter may try to be objective, and in many cases may approach an objective viewpoint, but the mere process of observing and reporting upon those observations is subjective.

A reporter may try to be objective, but that effort must begin with introspection into what the reporter wants to be true. Without that introspection, the reporter merely assumes that he is objective. And no one is more subjective than someone who is taking their own objectivity for granted.

[RightWhale]

the mere process of observing and reporting upon those observations is subjective

The reader (or consumer as the Marxists like to think of us) also contributes to the construction. That is one of the reasons these discussion forums exist.

[FrdmLvr]

C-SPAN probably comes the closest to objective journalism when they plant a camera and let their viewers observe the action

The problem with C-SPAN is at which events they choose to (or not to) place their cameras.

[Califreak]

I feel like C-SPAN is every bit as biased as the others.

Look at how much coverage they give to the usual suspects.

I watch Washington Journal everyday and I just couldn’t go there today.

I don’t know where they find all of these lifelong Republicans who’ve suddenly switched to Obama or Hillary for the good of our country.

They found a bunch of them at The Red Arrow Diner in NH, and the many of the people who call in, who would seem to be a little more up on things are the same type of boneheads.

[Bigun]

One night, probably in 1880, John Swinton, then the preeminent New York journalist, was the guest of honor at a banquet given him by the leaders of his craft. Someone who knew neither the press nor Swinton offered a toast to the independent press. Swinton outraged his colleagues by replying:

"There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it.

There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinion out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. The business of the journalists is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it, and what folly is this toasting an independent press? We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes."

Source: Labor's Untold Story, by Richard O. Boyer and Herbert M. Morais, published by United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America, NY, 1955/1979.