Journalism & Media vocabulary · Media Ethics and Law
Objectivity
Meaning in journalism & media, with examples
/ˌɒbdʒekˈtɪvəti/nounCommon term
In journalism & media, objectivity means: The principle of reporting facts as they are, without letting the journalist's own feelings, opinions or interests shape the story.
In Turkish: nesnellik, tarafsızlık
How it is used
A central ideal in journalism teaching and ethics debates. Some journalists prefer the words fairness, balance or impartiality, arguing that complete objectivity is impossible but a fair method is not. The adjective is objective.
Example sentences
Objectivity does not mean giving equal space to a claim that has been proved false.
Our first-year students write an essay on objectivity in war reporting.
Common collocations
journalistic objectivity
objectivity and balance
maintain objectivity
objective reporting
Related terms
biasAn unfair preference for or against a person, group or idea that affects how a story is chosen, written or presented.
accuracyThe quality of being correct in every fact, name, number and quote, which is the first duty of a journalist in most codes of practice.
editorialAn article that gives the official opinion of a newspaper or magazine on an issue, usually written by senior editors and often published without a byline.
conflict of interestA situation in which a journalist's personal, financial or family interests could influence, or seem to influence, how they report a story.
