Objectivity, an ideal pounded relentlessly into the cerebrums of journalism students and reporters, is fleeing farther and farther away from our current news media. As journalists make their political views apparent and editorial boards endorse certain candidates, it seems that impartiality is truly in the eye of the beholder.
Our news media exists with the primary purpose of informing the citizenry so that, presumably, citizens can make their own decisions. Unfortunately, when the media form their own conclusions, they take something away from the public: our trust.
Perhaps I am just angry because of my lost naivete. I used to believe that what I read in the paper was the God's honest truth. Now, I know it's printed only through a series of biases -- those of the editors, publishers, advertisers and reporters.
This past week has dealt two mighty blows to the objective standard in the national media.
First, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, the media giant that owns and controls 62 television stations including NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX and UPN, has made the decision to televise an anti-Kerry Vietnam War documentary ("Stolen Honor: Wounds that Never Heal") across its news programming. Sinclair's Washington bureau chief, Jon Lieberman, was fired from Sinclair for voicing his opinion against the documentary.
Lieberman refused to participate in the production of the show airing with the documentary. His objection was that the obviously partisan documentary was being aired in the guise of news. Sinclair reportedly fired him for divulging secret information to the press.
In a more amusing but no less important event, the sarcastic and hilariously irreverent Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" picked an on-air fight with CNN's conservative Tucker Carlson on Carlson's show "Crossfire." Carlson hammered on Stewart for publicly stating his endorsement of Kerry, while Stewart called Carlson a "partisan hack." Stewart accused Carlson of "failing miserably" at furthering public discourse.
He said, she said. Stewart accused Carlson of being too conservative and partisan, Carlson fired back with a shot at Stewart compromising his art as a comedian by stating his liberal bias.
Sinclair said they fired Lieberman for divulging company information. Lieberman said it was because he objected to their use of status and control to push their own political biases.
Unfortunately, with all this political posturing occupying the pages of our local papers and spraying itself over the broadcast news, I can only wonder where the "real" news is buried. Or, if "real" news exists at all beneath the thick cloak of political slanting.
Maybe I should thank the news media for laying it all out there for us to see. Instead of going along thinking Fox News is as objective as the Encyclopedia Britannica, we have Bill O'Reilly to tell us it's not.
Instead of thinking that our local papers are telling us all sides of the issue, we know which angle they are pushing. Instead of innocently believing that our favorite reporters are there to bring us the truth, we know just what truth they are trying to bring.
Yes, I am being a bit cynical. But Lieberman was not fired because he divulged company information. He was fired because he disagreed with a slanted documentary being aired as news. Michael Moore's opinions are never given any credence in the news and probably shouldn't be. Neither should "Stolen Honor."
Granted, the opinion of editorial boards and producers does not necessarily reflect those of the writers and reporters, but it is far too idealistic to think that the opinions of those in power do not influence the content of the paper.
Even if these editors, producers, journalists and reporters achieve the impossible and separate their work entirely from their opinions, they have still broken trust with the public. At the very least they have lost my good faith in their ability to bring me the news free from hype and propaganda.
Katie Kelberlau is a history and religious studies senior. Reach her at dointhechop@yahoo.com.
