If you know just a little bit about journalism, you’ve heard the word “objective” thrown around.
Journalists should show up, witness, observe and then go back and report the truth. But while the facts are king in our world, the mandate for being fair and objective makes us very cautious. Do our goals of objectivity - a thing which might not even exist - prevent us from telling it like it is?
We’ve been covering a pandemic where mixed messages from government officials made it difficult to navigate, and now we’re in a movement calling for an end to police violence, racism and for social justice. Is it okay for journalists to be clearly for some things and clearly against other things?
In this episode, we talk with experts about how to cover the current movement in a pandemic, protests, police and race right now.
Our guests:
Glenn Rice, Kansas City Star reporter.
Pat Pratt, Columbia Daily Tribune reporter.
Ruby Bailey, Columbia Missourian executive editor.
Ernest Perry, associate dean for graduate studies at Missouri School of Journalism.
To hear the live show, tune in weekdays at noon. Also, you can leave us a voicemail on our listening line at 877-532-0971. Tell us about how you are handling the current crises our region is facing and any questions you have.