Blog 3

By: Meredith Manning

The Importance of Objectivity 

Situation Definiton

Kimberly Dozier was the chief correspondent for CBS radio news until 2006 after being critically injured by a car-bomb in Baghdad, Iraq where one soldier was killed. I had the opportunity of listening to her speak on Wednesday morning in the HUB auditorium. She read from her book  Breathing the Fire: Fighting to Survive. She discussed the struggles she faced in Iraq and how she had to decide what to report and what not to report. Two ethical concerns I think she faced “treat all subjects of news coverage with respect and dignity” and “journalists should present the news with integrity and decency, avoiding real or perceived conflicts of interest, and respect the dignity and intelligence of the audience as well as the subjects of news.”

Analysis 

Kimberly had to work with military every day and it must have been nearly impossible for her to remain objective in the situation she was in. “the embedding program raised concerns with some that news from the Iraq War would be even more jingoistic than usual and that reporters would in fact be “in bed” with the military” (Aday, Livingston, Herbert, 7.) This is talking about the fact that many people had many concerns about the reporting going on oversees. People believed that journalists were holding things back due to their relationships with the military. But, Dozier did a great job of balancing those things. And her book mainly consists of her experiences in the war and what she went through.

I think Dozier presented her stories with much dignity toward herself, herself, her company and the American soldiers. She was able to tell both sides of the story fairly. While, she did admit she may have missed some “good” reporting due to her relationships she made it clear she was there to do her job and that did not mean making the American military look bad. It meant telling the truth. “New information about a subject of some public interest that is shared with some portion of the public. . . News is, in effect, what is on a society’s mind” (Wall, 2.)

Conlcusion

All in all  I think Dozier did a great job with her reporting over seas. She acted like a true journalist and no one should be questioning her ethical decisions. She completed her duty to the public, herself, and the military men she worked with every day. I learned that no matter how hard it is as journalist, you always have to try your best to remain objective.

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