Saturday, April 25, 2009

Oh, I'm sorry, you can't vote. You're a journalist.

There is one thing we discussed briefly in class that I don't think has been mentioned on this blog. It's been bothering me for a while, so allow me to touch on it briefly: the argument that journalists shouldn't vote. I'm curious what you class members think of this. I, for one, think it is mostly ridiculous. Yet, I can understand the rationale. Some journalists choose not to vote as to maintain an open mind and not mar their objectivity. They don't want to be swayed, subconsciously, or consciously in the news they choose to print. They do want anything to influence their ability to give fair and balanced coverage. But as I've said with the empathy vs. objectivity discussion, are journalists expected to be robots, detached from feeling and conviction for the sake of objectivity? The reason they have jobs in the first place is because they get to vote for freedom to have that job. Journalists are supposed to aid democracy, which is what the voting system is based on. I mostly agree with the policies that some publications have that require journalists not to campaign in any way as not to mar the publication's credibility. I think this is responsible, especially when a lot of big media entities are blatantly biased. But that is asking a lot of a human being-- to suppress their convictions for the sake of their career. However, asking them not to vote is wrong. They (we) are people too! Freedom of the press, though a wonderful privilege, does not make up for being denied the right to vote. Journalists are humans, and they are part of this democracy.

For a much more educated, cohesive take on this issue, read this.

6 comments:

  1. I think that Journalists should be able to vote. What country do we live in, the USA. You should be able to exercise your rights. Sure there might be some influence on your reporting during elections, but face it, whether you vote or not you are still going to be bias. If they wanted a perfect media that would not influence on elections they should hire some one that live in a hut on an island. I say VOTE!! It is a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT!

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  2. I completely agree. I think all personal experiences make journalists see through different filters provoking bias. Good point that a journalist is going to believe what they do regardless if they vote or not. If they don't vote, they aren't going to suddenly not have an opinion. Journalists have been trained and had experience to be objective despite different influences. Many have done so sufficiently. If people believe they should not have opinions at all in order to report, I don’t think journalists would be able to ask the controversial questions they do so well. They should be able to vote like anyone else in the United States.

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  3. The idea that journalists cannot have opinions and act accordingly is something I have always strongly disagreed with. I don't think journalists should have to oppress their right to vote or their involvement in the democratic process. I completely understand the argument that it skews coverage but that should not prevent you from reporting all together. If you are going to protest war or campaign for a specific cause, you shouldn't be allowed to write articles about your respective interest. If you cover everything but, I don't see how your opinion can influence reporting.

    We've learned from the start that we must strive for objectivity. However, we are also taught that we can never reach that optimum because we are who we are and we bring that to the table. Even on this most basic level, I see no difference in the bigger discussion we are having here. We all have opinions and we shouldn't have to sacrifice them. I think it would be better for audiences to know your biases up front, rather than deceiving them with this idea of objectivity. Audiences can know that a certain reporter doesn't support the war, or whatever, so they will not be covering it. Just because someone is for or against something doesn't mean their entire career is shot. They just shouldn't cover anything related to the respective topic.

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  4. I can see why not voting can give you a sense of objectivity and non-bias, but journalists are as American as the rest of us, why should they not have a free right to vote just like the rest of us. I believe it is ok for a journalist to have an opinion on a matter, it's just important when writing about it to be un-bias. If you are a journalist and dont vote, I think thats dumb. Maybe if your scared of being bias or whatever, just dont tell anybody you voted or who for. Everyone should be able to vote and express their opinions, we live in America thats what we are supposed to be all about as a country.

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  6. I really hate the notion of true objectivity. I think it is an illusion and I also think that we are smart enough to distinguish fact from fiction. So why should we not be able to vote? It is a right inherent with citizenship. Shoul we also deny ourselves of religion because it may sway our objectivity?

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