"The Era of Media Objectivity Is Over"

We’re trying to resolve two competing arguments.

On the one hand, there’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist John McQuaid, who says The Era of Media Objectivity Is Over:

… If media outlets insist on trying to be neutral arbiters between political interests – without examining who and what those interests represent or if their arguments are credible – they’ll continue to inch toward irrelevance.

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On the other hand, there’s John Fahey, CEO of NGS, who says:
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Our mission at National Geographic is to show our readership the life behind the news — and to do this with objectivity, texture, depth, and intimacy.

Is Mr. Fahey’s claim — that National Geographic is objective — a credible one? We think not, partly because true journalistic objectivity is a tough stance to defend with a straight face. And partly because we’ve watched our Society stake out this ground in Gabon, and this ground in China, and this ground in the internationalization of the National Geographic Society itself — all positions that are far from what might be called “neutral.”

Everyone has a point of view. Our big worry is that our Society’s current POV — as rendered each month in the pages of National Geographic magazine— is driving members away.

(To be continued….)

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photo of John McQuaid via johnmcquaid.com
photo of John Fahey via mediaite.com

Tagged as: China, Gabon, John Fahey, John McQuaid, LLE, membership, mission, objectivity