truth and objectivity

So, I have decided to hand in the following news story. It was based on Kerryn's presentation which was very good and interesting and gave me a lot to write about (and think about). Here it is!

University students get a valuable lesson in truth.

By Victoria Tayler

Kerryn Christie, an aspiring lawyer from the University for Newcastle, yesterday treated her peers with a discussion on truth and objectivity in journalism.

Ms Christie’s presentation was focused on the commercial pressures which affect journalists in their pursuit of the truth.

The first issue raised surrounded the problems with the creation of truth, where students discovered that the reality of the profession of journalism does not always match the ideal of journalistic truth which comes with the notion of ‘the fourth estate’.

Ms Christie stated that: “Journalists are left to do the best they can in the everyday life of their profession.

“This might lead to different representations of truth, such as half truths or misappropriation”.

Students further discovered the commercial pressures which journalists must deal with each day; these include such factors as advertising agendas, shrinking budgets and the notion of spin.

Because of these pressures, journalists are finding it increasingly difficult to access the truth due to the layers of media management and the influence imposed by public relations.

These pressures are leading to an increase in ‘churnalism’, a concept coined by journalistic commentator and author, Nick Davies.

Mr Davies comments: “They just churn this stuff over without having the time to check it, without having the time to decide whether or not this is what they should even be covering today.

“And it flows into the news and a lot of it is garbage.”

Ms Christie believes that there has been a considerable shift in what is considered news worthy, with media proprietors attempting to retain audiences by increasing the amount of celebrity and lifestyle stories.

University student, Ms Casey Stanwell gave her opinion on the matter, stating: “Journalists just need to be aware of the pressures and work within them to produce the best, most objective story”.