Objectivity In Journalism

According to the Oxford dictionary, journalism refers to the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast. One of the first traces of journalism dates back to 1608, as the first English reporter in the colonies, Captain John Smith, leader of the Jamestown settlement, publishes his newsletter “Newes from Virginia.” (Emery, 1996) The contemporary professional practice of Journalism has changed due to a number of factors, of which include, the popularity of online journalism, convergence journalism and the development of journalistic ethics.
After the 1970s, the concept of 'cultural/media imperialism' by British scholar J. Oliver Boyd Barrett was established. He believed that the globalization of communication had derived entirely from Western technological advances, which instituted a form of rule by the West over other countries. However, today, journalism is no longer mere collecting, writing, and publishing articles in newspapers and magazines or broadcasting them on the radio and television. A main reason credited for this

Thus, they must also make sure that their sources are direct sources. Objectivity is a substantial principle of journalism, as being too personal would lose its credibility, as it would be viewed as biased. This is because news is seen as the “agenda setting”, which is a theory describes the "ability [of the news media] to influence the salience of topics on the public agenda." If a news item is covered frequently and prominently, the audience will regard the issue as more important. (McCombs and Shaw,1972) Thus, if a news company presented news with a negative connotation, the audience is likely to think of it as negative as well. The media tends to shape