Upon stumbling upon the website NiemanLab, I clicked on an article titled “The neutrality vs. objectivity game ends.” I assumed this article would discuss the general struggles journalists face in trying to remove bias from their reports. However, I was pleasantly surprised to read about something I personally had never considered.
Journalists of color are constantly questioned whether they can remain neutral when covering stories about brutality or discrimination against people of color.
“I remember the day an old boss questioned out loud whether I’d be able to objectively cover a story about the shooting of a black man by police...This particular news boss wondered about my capacity for objectivity because I am black, and she held a common and misguided idea that I couldn’t be neutral or objective because my skin makes it impossible to see ‘all sides.’ This is a common refrain, one many journalists of color have heard before — and it’s a deeply flawed idea that erodes our efforts to comprehensively cover the communities we serve.”
I completely agreed with the points the end of the article made. One that really stood out to me was their statement: “Objectivity is not neutrality. Neutrality tries and fails to correct the real biases and prejudices of the journalist, which is impossible to do.”
We cannot expect neutrality in situations where neutrality chooses to blindly give in to false equivalency. Every person has bias because we all have lived through different worldviews, experiences, and cultures. Rather than blindly trying to avoid any possible bias, which every person naturally brings in to any situation, we as people should seek to intentionally listen to the stories and experiences from people of color, as well as diversify our workplaces.
[1 image, 3 quotations, 1 link, 287 words]
Comentários