Objectivity is a moving target
I have had extensive contact with the news media, print and electronic, local to national, over decades spent on the sharp edge of political activism. I have seen headlines distort content, found facts buried so deep in the body of a story that only the most dedicated reader could mine them, and traced back wire service accounts to find that one side of the story was meticulously excised. Worst of all, I have seen whole articles spiked by editors fearing a backlash from publishers, subscribers or advertisers.
As a witness to both reality and its journalistic descriptions, I learned in my teens that objectivity, however noble, is a moving target that bears few wounds.
John Walker
Coaldale, Colorado
