Of Journalism, Truth And Objectivity

Apparently, everyone agrees that journalists must
tell the truth. However, it is an uphill task if not absolutely impossible to pin down on a universal definition of truth. Indeed, the desire that (journalistic) information be truthful is basic. This is based on the fact that the way people generally learn, think and act upon the world and beyond depend  to a large extent on the truthfulness, accuracy and objectivity or the information they  get from  the media, be it electronic of the print media.
Although truth is truth, it has scarcely been unilaterally refined in the realm or scholarship. Some scholars like Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel would rather opine that it does not exist, since we are all subjective individuals. However, journalistic truth or truth in the journalistic sense of the word means just more than squaring up with reality. It implies among others “setting the facts right”.
Consequently, the nation of journalistic objectivity turns up for attention. This is hinged on the fact that in relating events just the way they transpired, the journalist applies a few couple principles of; accuracy, balance, fairness and coherence. Journalistic truth and objectivity is more than mere accuracy. It is procedural in nature. Thus, it involves a process of sorting out and arriving at what is required to as “ functional truth”. That is publishing stories which are both factually correct and substantially verifiable and reliable.
Similarly, truth and objectivity as perceived and understood in journalism as a process is a continuing journey toward understanding. According to B. Kovach, it is a process that develops between the initial story and the interaction among the public, newsmaker, and journalists over time. Hence the first principle or journalism comes to the fore, its disinterested pursuit or truth. Truth  have been a complicated term but in journalism distance itself from its strictest philosophical interpretations.
Journalistically, objectivity and truth are closely related  phenomena that attempt to get at reality in a confused world by stripping information abinitio of any misinformation, disinformation, or self-promoting lines and presenting (the) facts to the public to form their opinion about an issue to an event. Rather than giving interpretation to an event, the media concentrated on ( synthesis and verification) presenting the issue just like it is.
Instructively, practical or functional truth and objectivity do not imply  as it were, in the absolute or philosophical sense what they connote in the media. It is not the truth and objectivity of a chemical equation. Journalists do not just stick simply to accuracy, getting the names and dates right. Of course, mere accuracy can be a kind of distortion for the accounts of a story published can be factually correct but substantially untrue. Therefore, to clearly highlight the twin relationship of truth and objectivity in journalism, it could safely asserted  that the modern  day journalism does not only report facts truthfully, it, however, reports the truth about the fact.
Interestingly, truth and especially, objectivity in the media have two basic components which strongly support the basis for their essence: depersonalisation and balance. Whereas the former implies that journalists should not involves presenting the views or representatives of both sides of a  (controversy) story without bias-slanting the presentation.
Following, from the foregoing, journalists are expected to provide direct quotation or authoritative sources such as politicians, clergymen and other stakeholders to avoid been accused of libel and defamation. Whenever ‘facts’ are clearly separated from ‘opinion’ and ‘hard news’ from ‘editorial comment’, the public is then left with the information of interpreting the products of the media as provided.
Objectivity in the media is truth and truth is objectivity only to the extent that truth is a matter of accurately reporting what has taken place in line with its substantial veracity. Importantly, Sharon Beder notes that the rhetoric of journalistic objectivity supplies a mask for the inevitable subjectivity that is involved in news reporting and reassure audience, who might otherwise be wary of the power of the media. What is a good story, the choice of who to interview on a particular issue, what questions will be asked, which parts or the interview  will be printed or broadcast, what facts are relevant for public consumption and so on.
Therefore, the bottom line is that both truth and objectivity in journalism/media are interwoven and are a possibility to the extent that the public is provided with the issue just like it is and with the event just as it transpired while distancing itself from possible interpretation which will lead to slanting and taking sides.
Odey, of Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt, is an Intern with The Tide.

Luke Odey