News and views

The newsroom at The New York TimesFounded in 1851, its motto is: "All the news that's fit to print." was in uproar. The newspaper had published an article deemed to be highly offensive - to its own journalists. Less than two weeks after the death of George Floyd, Republican senator Tom Cotton had written a piece for its opinion section entitled "Time to Send in the Troops" calling for "an overwhelming show of force" to control protests in American cities.

Led by a group of young reporters, members of the paper's staff wrote a letter to its management expressing "deep concern" that a liberal news organisation had allowed Cotton to give his thoughts on the issue. "Choosing to present this point of view without added context leaves members of the American public... vulnerable to harm," the letter declared. Future opinion pieces should be vettedCritically examined, as a vet might check an animal. "across the desk's diverse staff before publication".

A meeting between staff and management was called. Two days later, the editor of the opinion page was fired.

Yesterday the director-general of the BBC, Tim Davie, issued a statement reaffirming the importance of "trusted, impartial" news. The "growing assault on truth," he said, "represents a profound threat to the health of societies and democracies worldwide". But as the dispute at The New York Times shows, some journalists question the possibility - and value - of being objective.

Most newspapers make a clear distinction between their news sections - which are supposed to report events in an impartial way - and their opinion pages - where people give an unashamedly personal point of view. The most respected publications give space to opinions from a wide political spectrum.

But according to media expert Andrey Mir, we have entered the age of "post-journalism". In this, journalists not only suppress the views of people they disagree with, but report the news with a deliberate bias.

Those who support this approach see it as a response to Donald Trump's divisive speeches and deliberate lies. When people put forward such dangerous views, they argue, it is their duty to prevent readers from sharing them.

"'Just tell me the bare facts [and] don't be on anyone's side'... doesn't always work, especially right now," declared The Washington PostOne of America's most distinguished newspapers, it is best known for exposing the Watergate scandal which caused President Nixon's downfall.'s Margaret Sullivan. "That's why the notion to 'represent all points of view equally' is absurd and sometimes wrongheaded."

Wesley Lowery of The New York Times agrees. "'Objectivity'-obsessed, both-sides journalism is a failed experiment. We need to fundamentally reset the norms of our field. The old way must go." What journalists should offer instead is "moral clarity".

This runs contrary to the code of ethics laid down by America's Society of Professional Journalists. The most important thing, it says, is to "seek truth and report it". To do this, "journalists should... support the open and civil exchange of views, even views they find repugnantRepellent. The word derives from a Latin verb meaning to fight.."

Can journalism ever claim to be the truth?

Some say, no. Everyone is biased in some way, and even journalists who try to be impartial can never entirely succeed in setting their own views aside. Their research depends on how extensive their resources are, how much time there is before their deadline and who is prepared to co-operate with them, so they are seldom able to explore a subject as deeply as they would like.

Others point out that many shocking facts would never have come to light if it had not been for determined journalists. The Dreyfus case, the My Lai massacre and the ThalidomideA drug sold in the 1950s to pregnant mothers for morning sickness. It led to children being born without limbs. The Sunday Times published a campaign for compensation in 1972. scandal are just three examples of investigative reporting exposing the truth against the odds. Even if journalism sometimes fails, it underpins democracy and civilisation in a vital way.