“The best available version of the Truth” Race Gender and the News Kim Pearson

What do journalists mean by “Truth?” Using most “objective” methods possible A discipline of verification Multiple sourcing (documents, witnesses, physical evidence where appropriate) Push for data-driven stories Computer-assisted reporting Journalists as primary researchers Recognizing that data may be flawed Attempting to disprove hypotheses, not confirm preconceptions Willingly correcting demonstrated errors Being a reflective practitioner

Components of objectivity in journalism Detachment Non-partisanship Inverted pyramid “Facticity” Balance

Objectivity: History of an idea Gradual 19th century development Result of changes in US culture, scientism, shift of educational institutions from centers of theology to centers of science and technology

Focusing on facts Before the 20th century, newspapers routinely carried unverified rumors and outright fictional accounts This was also true in literature and historiography Concern was more with cultural usefulness than literal accuracy

Example: The Columbus Doors

Other examples of mythic “non-fiction” narrative Sojourner Truth’s famous speech Yellow journalism and the Spanish American War Matthew Brady’s civil war pictures

At the same time… Anxiety about growing complexity and anonymity of society Emerging belief that science could reveal absolute truth Excitement about photography Inverted pyramid as the journalistic equivalent of the lab report

The church of objectivity Move toward professionalization Adoption of a creed But like many dogmas, there are pitfalls

Press bias: What is it? Common belief that media skew “left” or “right”, [ideas often not clearly defined] but most studies find that the skew is toward the establishment. In general, bias results more from underlying cultural assumptions and business models than ideology

Sources of bias Advertising, publisher or sponsor pressure Marketing focus (eg “suburban editions of papers’) Resources devoted to original reporting Investments in employee expertise – without independent knowledge, forced to rely on “experts” Embedded cultural assumptions about who is most credible

Distinguish bias from slant Many news organization have a particular editorial focus that might be rooted in a set of political, religious or cultural beliefs. (eg Mother Jones or Christianity Today) They might serve a niche audience (eg Latina magazine) Okay if they are transparent and truthful

Government-induced bias Laws Pressure exerted through control of access Control of research (NIH HIV funding for example) Paying for favorable coverage (illegal if the US government does it)

Biases as a matter of practice “Fairness bias” Mythic narratives Good visuals? Timeliness “Glory bias” Elite agreement? Within the acceptable range of controversy?

Andrew Cline’s bias checklist Where is the author coming from? What affiliations does he or she have? What’s the author’s stake in the issue? Who is paying for this? What data’s being used? How do we know it’s valid or reliable? Is the argument one-sided? Are others demonized?

Sources Andrew Cline’s Rhetorica Lule, Jack. Daily News, Eternal Stories. Mindich, David. Just the Facts American Daguerrotypes