Doubters Alert
What commonly accepted truth (or “truth”) do you think is wrong, or at least seriously doubt? Why?
I've always wondered about objectivity in journalism. Since I've been freelancing, I get to choose the stories that I work on. I see something interesting, I find out more and then I pitch. I love this because I pretty much get to read about stuff and attend events I would go to anyway. And I get paid.
I doubt the belief that journalists always have to objective. I think journalists can be fair in their reporting but sometimes just choosing the story you work on is subjective. Sometimes you pitch a story because you love or hate something about it. A lot of times what drives me to finish a story is my passion for the subject, whether I'm covering a musician, protest or trend. If I didn't have excitement for the idea, why bother? I've been assigned stories that I'm less enthused about and I notice a difference. I get the stories done but there's no vim.
Coincidentally, most journalists I know are opinionated. And as long as their upfront about their beliefs when relevant, I'd rather hear from them rather than someone with no point of view.