Objectivity in Journalism by Steven Maras
Objectivity in Journalism by Steven Maras was very interesting to read. It is a bit old, but it deals with objectivity from different perspectives, such as historical, sociological, ethical. It offers a great overview of different schools of thought on the subject, making it a great source to expand and read more in depth, books or articles written by the authors he mentions in the book.
The book is mainly focused on America, but it has various examples from UK and others, such as Australia and Africa. It deals with ideas of facts and framing. It deals with how the concept of objectivity in journalism came about and offers four arguments: professionalisation, technological, commercial, and political.
This is an interesting book that I read for my research. While I enjoyed it, it is an academic non-fiction book which is great for anyone who studies this topic or is found of reading academic papers. If not, it might be a bit too dry for a regular reader who reads for pleasure. I definitely recommend the book for academic purposes. I borrowed it from the library, but I might buy it if I need to look at it again.
Objectivity in Journalism by Steven Maras
Details about the picture: –
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Polity
Year it was published: 2012
Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Philosophy
Pages: 272
About the author:
A graduate of Curtin University in Western Australia (1988), Steven studied Honours at Murdoch University, and received his PhD in Communication Studies from Murdoch University (1994). He was a member of the Media and Communications department at the University of Sydney (2005–2015) after ten years teaching at the University of Western Sydney (1995–2005). In 2015 he returned to Western Australia to accept a position of Associate Professor in Media and Communication at The University of Western Australia. He is the author of two books, Screenwriting: History, Theory and Practice (Wallflower/Columbia 2009) and Objectivity in Journalism (Polity, 2013), and has published articles and essays in numerous journals in Australia and internationally. He is editor of the 2016 collection Ethics in Screenwriting: New Perspectives (Palgrave Macmillan).
Now he is Associate Professor in Media and Communication, University of Western Australia .
Website & Social Media Links: –
My personal observation doesn’t see a lot of objectivity in the media (or journalism) in the United States. And unfortunately, people tend to gravitate to others with their same biases when looking for news. I’m sure this one is too dry for me.
Kelly recently posted…This or this? #4
There isn’t a lot of objectivity in the media in UK either, regardless of the definition of objectivity and how it is seen as put in practice.
I also agree with you on people going for the news they want to hear. This is why I make an effort to read various sources, for example both The Guardian and The Telegraph. You are right, this is on the dry side. Do check out the other book though, on Bellingcat, that is also on journalism (in a way) and it is very interesting.