Journalistic objectivity revolves around reporting the news

The current state of debate on journalistic objectivity revolves mostly around reporting news. These debates revolves on news commentaries. Jacques Ellul (1973) reflects a standard view of why academics and social commentators argue for widespread use of propaganda in the history of post-World War II democracies which has been viewed as undermining freedom?

On the other hand, Sheryl Tuttle Ross points out that "standard model of propagandans like Herman and Chomsky do not help society to distinguish between political art that is propagandistic in intent and that which is not". Her argues point to the point that "traditional descriptions of propaganda show that “propaganda involves an intention to persuade, a socially significant group of people, on behalf of a political institution, organisation, or cause". Ross further argues for a founding condition of political art as propaganda because the media judge them to be “epistemically defective.”

South Africa's press enjoy more freedom now than any other period in its history, but lately attacks on the media by politicians, claiming bias, poor quality and demanding to be exempted from scrutiny have become deafening. The President of South Africa and leader of the ruling party the African National Congress (ANC), Mr. Jacob Zuma, sacked for alleged corruption, blamed the media in part for his troubles, urged William M. Gumede, former Deputy Editor of The Sowetan newspaper.

Perhaps the former Los Angeles Times editor John Carroll's view of American journalism applies to South Africa as well. He urges that "The very best public-service journalism is probably as good it's ever been, maybe better, but it's being done by fewer and fewer papers (and journalists)". However, the public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), appears to be taking criticisms by politicians to heart. It often appears in awe of government. The broadcaster has launched an investigation into the claims, but its credibility has been seriously damaged, added Gumede.

It has often been said by many professionals that "journalism's role is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. Sadly, too many media owners - many of whom have great power see the role of the media differently. They believe the role of the media is to comfort the comfortable and ignore the afflicted".

In World Bank circles, the main concerns of journalistic practice may be to find fault than the media in developing countries. The view here is that society need to look at the growing atmosphere taking place in the United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, South Africa and the rest of the world.

This model of journalistic objectivity construes moral and political beliefs as extraneous noise that a reporter must work towards overcoming to cover the news as objectively as possible. In the words of William Gumede, "Journalists attempt to observe reality as it is. They want you to view everything through their eyes and writing, without their personal intervention (tough to do!).