Is Objectivity Essential to Journalism?

Open to Debate

News, Society & Culture, Education

4.5 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 April 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For decades, objectivity has been cited as journalism's gold standard, promising that journalists would stick “to the facts" and deliver both sides of the story, excluding their personal views. Those in support say it builds trust and gives newsreaders the information they need to form their own opinions. Those against say it suppresses certain valuable viewpoints and that some issues don’t merit the "both sides" treatment. Now, we debate: "Is Objectivity Essential in Journalism?” Arguing Yes: Bret Stephens, Opinion Columnist at The New York Times Arguing No: Leonard Downie, Jr, Former Executive Editor of The Washington Post Nayeema Raza, Journalist and Host of "Smart Girl Dumb Questions", is the guest moderator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Here's the truth about AI. AI is only as powerful as the platform it's built into.
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0:27.8	slash UK slash AI for people. This is open to debate. I'm John Donvan. Hi, everybody. Journalism is
0:34.2	not just reporting the news these days. It is also in the news. President Trump is cracking down on press coverage he doesn't like. He is banning outlets like the Associated Press from the White House pool, while also welcoming new media influencers and podcasters into that press pool. We see Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos declaring his paper, The Washington Post,
0:55.2	will no longer publish opinions that don't align with free market ideals and personal liberties.
1:00.4	That prompted resignations at the paper. What is striking in these developments is that
1:05.0	they're not happening behind closed doors. They're unfolding in plain sight. Now, the conversation
1:10.1	you're about to hear comes from 2023 when we asked this question.
1:13.7	Is objectivity essential to journalism?
1:16.4	Back then, the country was just past the pandemic and the first Trump presidency.
1:20.8	A second Trump presidency seemed at that point to be a distant possibility.
1:25.3	Questions were swirling then around whether asking journalists to check their backgrounds and biases at the door did a discern possibility. Questions were swirling then around whether asking journalists to check
1:28.5	their backgrounds and biases at the door did a disservice to their work, or was that even a possible
1:34.0	feat to pull off? Now, just two years later, journalism's going through another round of self-examination,
1:39.6	and it's not just Trump 2.0 or the Washington Post pivoting on its editorial policy.
1:44.9	It's that trust in media continues to fracture.
1:48.1	We're seeing TikTokers and YouTubers and podcasters now commanding massive audiences.
1:53.1	They're filling spaces once dominated by the traditional news media.
1:56.4	Yet these newcomers operate without the rules of editorial oversight and fact-checking that are
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