The Truth about Facts

 





The survival of democracy depends on an informed electorate. For this reason, the founders of this country sought to guarantee freedom of the press in the First Amendment. Journalists, for their part, established professional standards of objectivity in which news reporting stuck to the facts and opinions showed up in editorials.

Over the years, these standards have encountered several issues. For one, they’ve created the false assumption that objective reporting is free of bias. Reporters and editors insert their biases every time they decide what to report, what photos to include and where to place a story. As human beings we all have biases. Professional journalism demands that we acknowledge our biases, rather than pretending they don’t exist.

A second issue lies in the assumption that there is an objective reality, made up of ascertainable facts and that such facts are the basis for truth. This notion fails on many fronts. Our only access to reality lies in our senses, which are subjective and susceptible to prejudice. Our ability to perceive reality evolves with rapidly-changing cultural awareness and advances in technology. Moreover, there are some facts we’ll never know.

As delusional as positivism and objectivism may be, their opposite, subjectivism, is morally and intellectually bankrupt. A recent popular term for this is “alt-truth,” which has come to excuse outright lies from politicians channeled through blogs, cable news and talk radio. For an example of how powerful this corrosive notion can be, look no further than the January 6 attempt to overturn our election process.

Stephen J. A. Ward has proposed a more practical approach to journalistic ethics, which he calls pragmatic objectivity. In it he lays out a disciplined methodology focused on diligent inquiry, interpretation of results, holistic testing, generic and domain-specific testing and delivery with a passion for the truth within.

For those who whine that this is difficult, you’re right. Otherwise, anyone could call themselves a journalist.

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