Debate Primer: Journalism, Objectivity, or Advocacy?

This week Political Union will be debating whether journalism should prioritize objectivity over advocacy.

First, a broad definition of objectivity and advocacy in journalism and the role it plays in our democracy. [4 minutes] 

• A list of evidentiary standards from a professor of journalism at Columbia University (this piece is recommended for non-Medill students especially). [5 minutes]

Ideas from the Pew Research on the future of journalism in the age of social media. [6 minutes]

• A breakdown on ethical decision making in a short report from journalist Jeremy Scahill. [7 minutes]

• An op-ed on the racialized perspective of objectivity in journalism from Pacinthe Mattar. [6 minutes]

• Analysis on trends in journalism and political advocacy’s role in the profession. [5 minutes]

• A short review on the role of ‘caring’ in journalism. [4 minutes]

• Some quick stats on news consumption on social media. [3 minutes]

• A conversation between Stanford communication faculty James Hamilton and Jon Krosnick on the relevance of voting to the election cycle. [4 minutes]

• A reflection on journalistic ethics after the Edward Snowden controversy. [5 minutes]

Image credit: "Newspapers B&W (3)" by NS Newsflash is licensed under CC BY 2.0