Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Activism in Journalists: Can they Co-exist?

An article in the NY times by David Carr called the age-old debate of objectivity in journalism into question. The question this particular article brought up to me was: Does an activist fundamentally make a good journalist?

I think yes. I feel like my intense interest in political issues/social rights movements is what led me to ultimately study journalism in the first place. Doesn't that kind of drive and passion make up the best reporting?

There is obviously a line to be drawn and precautions to be taken. A warning of biases perhaps? But as Glenn Greenwald points out: 

“It is a matter of being honest or dishonest. All activists are not journalists, but all real journalists are activists. Journalism has a value, a purpose — to serve as a check on power.”

No comments:

Post a Comment