As an aspiring journalist, I consume a lot of media on a regular basis. But as the industry has changed, not all trends are positive. Podcasting and social media allow anyone to voice an opinion or share information, even when it is not based on the truth. Likewise, a lack of fact-checking from traditional media outlets is equally disturbing. In an effort to better understand where journalism is today, I asked Claire Cooper, the managing editor at The Walrus, and Wency Leung, a writer for The Local, for their thoughts.
Purpose of Opinion
Both Cooper and Leung agree that there is a place for opinion in news journalism. Cooper suggests that these kinds of pieces “add a human touch to a story,” while Leung says opinions offer a “diversity of voices,” and that it helps to have “a section in your publication that serves as sort of a town hall.”
The work produced at The Local and The Walrus—regardless of whether it’s a feature or an opinion—is driven by facts. Readers often find data or other evidence that supports the story. This is an important part of both publications’ work, as it provides concrete evidence.
For writers looking to write opinions, Cooper suggests some things to consider first: “I would say for opinion pieces you should always at least believe you are the expert…that you’ve got a strong reason for having those opinions.”
“Objectivity”
I’m sure many students have heard of the concept of objectivity in journalism and the importance of “sticking to the facts,” especially in news. However, in recent years, this concept has come under question. As Leung suggests, we all have our own biases, including publications, so achieving objectivity isn’t always possible. When this is the case, a report should be “fair and balanced.”
From the reporting process to researching to finding sources, there are a few things Leung considers. For instance, if a story involves criticism, it is important to contact those criticized in the article so they can respond. Fair and balanced also means asking questions that do not steer the subject in a particular direction but remain neutral. Transparency throughout the report is key as well – whether that’s with sources or in the final product with what was found in the research and/or what wasn’t.
Furthermore, sticking to the facts doesn’t always paint a clear picture. Much of the work produced by The Local and The Walrus consists of long-form features that provide far more than just the facts. “The objective is not necessarily just to give what happened and when,” said Leung. “You really want to help your reader understand the context and help your reader understand how to make sense of the news.”
Continuing with this theme, there may be writers who have been told their own personal experiences aren’t objective, that there is a clear bias. You may have heard other minority writers iterate a similar message. However, Cooper debunks the idea that personal experience is not considered valid.
“When it’s someone’s opinion, we want it to be an informed one,” said Cooper. “Somebody who has a really strong background in that subject matter. It’s someone who has a personal connection to that subject matter…Something that would give them, if not lived experience, then sort of professional experience in that realm.”
Shrinking Newsrooms
A disturbing trend in media – traditional and non-traditional – is the lack of fact-checking. Cooper and Leung point to shrinking newsrooms resulting from budget cuts that have gutted their fact-checking teams as a potential factor in the spread of misinformation in news media.
“Fact-checking is something that is not as prevalent as it used to be,” said Cooper. “It used to be that a lot more publications put more time and effort into it.”
Earlier this year, The Washington Post “laid off about 30 percent of all its employees,” which “includes people on the business side and more than 300 of the roughly 800 journalists in the newsroom,” according to The New York Times. Around the same time, Bell Media also laid off 60 employees, including 11 journalists, according to Unifor, the employee union. However, this claim has been disputed by Bell Media’s director of communication, Sarah McLaren. But Bell Media’s past layoffs have been well documented. It seems almost every year the company announces another round of layoffs.
Shrinking newsroom staff also means reporters are working on tighter deadlines to produce stories, which could lead to fact-checking being overlooked. To make things worse for smaller newsrooms, the current state of our world is far different than what it used to be. The pandemic seems to have kick-started the era of living continuously in unprecedented times.
“There’s so much going on right now in terms of things that are happening in the world that are worthy of coverage,” said Leung. “If you look at any newspaper today, you’ll probably see a million things that a decade ago would be front page news…and [now] it’s covered once, and you’re on to the next thing.”