What is the True Definition of Objectivity? And, How Does Objectivity Provide a Framework for You to Function Ethically as a Journalist?

As we have learned pretty thoroughly in this class and while reading the class textbooks, it is impossible for a journalist to be entirely objective. Be it through personal morals, ideologies, experiences and background each journalist has ingrained personality which inherently affects his or her writing. Also, the journalist will not be able to perform as a journalist unless he or she gets in the inside, yet by getting into the inside of the story objectivity (as generally accepted) flees. However, the true definition of objectivity as I have developed from this class is that objectivity is not so much being entirely removed from the situation, rather, it is more the ability to present the facts, laws, regulations and situations in their perfect truth, and then let the reader choose for himself or herself the take-away.

            This perception of objectivity enables me as a journalist to function ethically because it disallows me to insert an opinion or standing on the current situation. It strips away any commentary, and solely leaves the story to remain. This further enables the reader to make conscious decisions and moral judgments hopefully without the influence of the journalist.

 In this picture, objectivity is displayed as perfect fairness, unaffected by any outside sources. I think journalistic objectivity is more like this, "Objectivity is not about perfect neutrality or the elimination of interpretation. Objectivity refers to a person’s willingness to use objective methods to test interpretations for bias or inaccuracies."  With this in mind, journalists can function ethically.

https://ethics.journalism.wisc.edu/2011/08/31/rethinking-journalism-ethics-objectivity-in-the-age-of-social-media/