This week’s reading described the objectivity and government manipulation in media industry. According to the reading objectivity means journalist’s neutralizing attitude when they reporting or delivering some news to the public. Neutral means journalist’s should tell the facts because if they appeal their own critical ideas to the public, that imply that the journalists are possibly on one side and reporting unfairly. However, I am wondering if the journalists delivered the news with their view, how the public can classify its fact.
Also, the reading treated about the government manipulation, which I have a lot of things to say. The reading states, “Along with owners and advertisers, government leaders exercise a substantial influence over what become news,” and this is what I could not trust the media with hundred percent of trust. There are two cases in Korean media industry. One is a year ago there was a journalists’ strike about 170 days for kick out the chief executive officer of MBC, which is one of the television networks in Korea. MBC is a national broadcasting network and broadcasting media organization assigned MBC’s chief executive officer discretionally through their meeting. The problem is Lee Myung-Bak administration ordered to let broadcasting media organization to assign Kim Jae-Cheol as MBC’ s chief executive officer. Then, Lee administration censored MBC’s news. Therefore, journalists strike for firing their chief executive officer, and insist freedom of speech to get back public’s right-to-know. During the strike, most of MBC’s programs stop to air includes entertainment shows, and television dramas. While the main anchors participate to the strike, MBC hired people temporary and continue to air the news, but audiences turned their back already and cheer for journalists’ strike. The strike ended unsuccessfully because Lee administration didn’t fire Kim Jae-Cheol. Instead of kicking out Kim, MBC kicked out some journalists that they participated to the strike, and some got a penalties such as wage reduction, and suspending from duty for a while. It seemed Lee’s administration revenge, so consequently MBC lost audience’s trust of its news. The other case was about the celebrities’ scandals or a festival period like a World Cup season. When a famous actor or actress’ scandal issued, the government hide some important things or decided some laws while public’s interests are on the celebrities’ scandal. Also, government used some famous festivals to hiding their fault or making a wrong law.
I personally, hope that one day the political power excluded from the media, so people really can get the facts and trust the media. Controlled media is a tragedy and ironical thing in this modern democratic society.
I enjoyed reading your post. After reading your post I understood that the kind of government – the media relationship that we see in America is also pervasive throughout the world. It is very courageous of a few journalists to address the issues and stood up against the power even though the results turned not very positive. And I think it is very important that many journalists to challenge the collapsed system of the news reporting.
I think in the real world, the word “objectivity” applies to only reporters and not the ones who make or provide the news sources (the government, large corporations, think tanks, etc). Parenti says that “objectivity means that reporters should avoid becoming politically active, and should keep their distance from their subject.” The author uses this definition of “objectivity” to explain that reporters are kept powerless in questioning the news stories that are made by the dominant power in society. I think this is a misled idea of objectivity in journalism. Objectivity means that reporters should not influence the news stories with their personal opinions or biases but it does not mean to say that reporters should avoid raising their opinions when they know what they are reporting is obviously wrong. Unfortunately, today, people in the dominant class take advantage of this idea of objectivity. The dominant power makes a story that suits their interests and tells the reporters to report the story. The story reaches the public without any worry because “objectivity” tells the reporters not to re-shape the story with their opinions. So news stories that we get today may be usually free-bias of reporters but are influenced by the dominant people who make the stories.
The case of journalist strike that you talked in your post is very encouraging not only to journalists but to people like us. It is right to stand up and challenge the system. I think objectivity really means to look at the news that are reported critically and I think that responsibility also holds to audiences like us.