Sustaining Democracy? Western Politics and Journalistic Objectivity

Author: (Canada) Robert Hackett, Zhao Yueting, Shen Hui, Zhou Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: It is almost a consensus among Western media scholars that media led by the United States is not as objective and fair as they claim to be. Yet, why can the concept of journalistic objectivity continue to be revered as an "unchanging god" in North American media? How do the vast media institutions in North America operate? What intricate relationships do North American media have with social life, especially with politics? Maintaining Democracy? Western Politics and Journalistic Objectivity, co-authored by Robert Hackett and Zhao Yueting, is a profound reflection on the history and current state of North American media. It explores objectivity from the perspectives of Western news systems, journalistic philosophy, and the relationship between news and democracy, and serves as an encyclopedic masterpiece that analyzes North American media based on this foundation.
The book covers nearly all aspects of journalism—from mainstream to non-mainstream, from penny press in the early 19th century to the currently popular "public journalism" movement in the United States, from telegraph news to internet news. While providing a comprehensive and historical analysis of the progressive significance and limitations of journalistic objectivity, the authors also propose new journalistic philosophies and concrete measures for journalistic reform.
Focusing on objectivity as both the entry point and the focal point, the book explores the origins and development of objectivity from the perspectives of Western news systems, journalistic philosophy, and the relationship between news and democracy. It particularly emphasizes the social and journalistic realities of the United States and Canada. The book covers nearly all aspects of journalism, offering a deep reflection on North American news systems, journalistic thought, journalistic practices, as well as the specific history and current state of North America. At the same time, it proposes new journalistic philosophies and concrete measures for journalistic reform.