Of all the things that journalism students are taught at Troy, objectivity is probably the number one aspect.
What’s interesting is that for how much it’s taught to us, being objective really is a virtue that people tend to be careless about.
“Where is the appropriate place to put your opinion in a news story? “
“Nowhere.”
I see an issue with this lately, however. Not just in journalism, but everywhere.
It’s difficult for me to trust what information a writer is presenting when I know they are biased towards the subject.
If you have any sort of ulterior motives when writing a story, that’s a problem.
And when you obviously have an affiliation with what you’re writing, it’s critical that you remain entirely objective.
And if you struggle with being objective with it, then perhaps you’re not the person for the job.
This isn’t even just a journalism issue. It’s something that everyone should take into consideration.
For instance, when your professor gives you feedback on a paper you’ve written, whether the feedback is negative or positive, it’s key to be objective about it.
Being objective is important because it opens you up to accepting the feedback, therefore enabling you to make use of it.
If you remain close-minded about it, you could miss an opportunity for growth and learning.
This is also true for controversial issues in the public – politics, abortion, religion, etc.
Disregarding someone’s opinion or statements because they’re different from your own is not only a display of ignorance, but it shows your lack of ability to be objective.
How can you expect to further your knowledge of any subject if you can’t put aside your own feelings and opinions?
And if you’re not looking to learn about anything other than what you believe, then you’re really setting yourself up for failure.
You’re completely closing yourself off to new ideas and opportunities that could really be rewarding in the long run.
And I think we can all agree that it makes you look better to say you disagree with something after you’ve considered it, rather than saying you disagree simply because it’s not what you believe.
If you don’t understand something, try to.
And if you don’t agree with something, be objective about it and give it a chance. You could learn something about yourself from it.
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