As journalists, we are on the frontline of news and information. Every newsroom abides by an ethical code, and every journalist by their own professional integrity. These are the core values of journalism: to tell the truth, remain objective and avoid conflicts of interest.
Following these codes means we must remain neutral even beyond the newsroom — in our public, private and online lives. News staff are allowed to have personal opinions, but not to post them, and certainly not to wear them across our chest.
Some journalists even abstain from voting to avoid potential controversy and criticism over their publication’s political diversity. But, these standards we are held to are oftentimes too extreme.
Having journalists stay politically neutral doesn’t necessarily lead to unbiased reporting. There is no way to be perfectly neutral, because neutrality implies having no opinion at all.
Everyone has implicit biases that influence the way they write, the people they interview, the wording they choose, the context they provide and the structure they present.
Bias seeps into everything we do, conscious or unconscious. It might be better, then, to own our opinions and emotions and commit to transparency.
It’s our responsibility to cover news impartially, but our training and experience allows us to do so regardless of our non-professional lives. As long as reporters pledge themselves to objectivity, informing readership about unintentional biases that may color their stories provides a necessary context.
Of course, it doesn’t mean journalists should flaunt their political beliefs by hate-tweeting at politicians or outwardly advocating for a political candidate. Rather than pretending we are infallible pillars of neutrality, we could simply take further responsibility for our work.
It’s the same type of transparency editorials lend to readers.
An important distinction is that editorials and opinion columns are thoroughly researched and fact-checked. But it still feels like a double standard — opinionists are allowed to report news while sharing their opinion openly and fully on a public platform.
If we trust columnists to be objective journalists, why can’t regular reporters afford a little wiggle room?
Furthermore, there are some issues journalists should be able to speak up on. Just as it’s our right as citizens to protest and vote, we should also be able to stand up for basic human rights issues that personally affect us and those we care about.
But too many topics that are not inherently political have become politicized in today’s society. The Black Lives Matter movement and its protests over the summer should have existed outside the realm of politics. People, especially journalists of color, should have been able to express their outrage and support.
In reality, though, even a stray like on Twitter, a donation to a charity or a signature on a petition could have a journalist fired from their job mid-pandemic.
Unfortunately, advocating for issues such as racial justice may provoke further antagonism toward and distrust of journalists.
In the United States, public distrust of the news media has always run rampant, and 60 percent of survey respondents in a 2020 Gallup poll indicated distrust in mass media. And former President Donald Trump engendering public skepticism of the news certainly did not help matters.
So where can we draw the line in determining what reporters can do in public?
As social media reliance grows, human rights issues become political and differences in values separate generations of journalists, the definition of “preserving integrity” is getting progressively murkier.
However, while prominent outlets such as The New York Times or The Washington Post continue to uphold strict nonpartisan policies for its staff, there won’t be a widespread movement to abolish or even lessen the severity of these rules. As long as our society remains highly polarized and politicized, it is unlikely any public editorialization of social issues — beyond writing an editorial such as this — will be acceptable.
It’s a journalist’s duty to be unbiased. We represent our publications and their credibility, and we need to take that commitment seriously.
For those who are caught between allyship and journalism, you should remember you have the unique power and opportunity to educate the public in a fair way. We can cover stories about issues we care about, feature underrepresented voices and, most importantly, show people the truth.
After all, that’s what journalism is about.
