Just the Facts: How "Objectivity" Came to Define American Journalism

by David T.Z. Mindich

Overview

A “superb” history of journalism’s most respected tenet—objectivity—and the challenges of achieving it in today’s world (Christian Science Monitor).
 
If American journalism were a religion, as it has been called, then its supreme deity would be “objectivity.” The high priests of the profession worship the concept, while the iconoclasts of advocacy journalism, new journalism, and cyberjournalism consider objectivity a golden calf. Meanwhile, a groundswell of tabloids and talk shows and the increasing infringement of market concerns make a renewed discussion of the validity, possibility, and aim of objectivity a crucial pursuit.
 
Despite its position as the orbital sun of journalistic ethics, objectivity—until now—has had no historian. David T.Z. Mindich reaches back to the nineteenth century to recover the lost history and meaning of this central tenet of American journalism. His book draws on high-profile cases, showing the degree to which journalism and its evolving commitment to objectivity altered—and in some cases limited—the public’s understanding of events and issues. 
 
Mindich devotes each chapter to a particular component of this ethic—detachment, nonpartisanship, the inverted pyramid style, facticity, and balance. Through this combination of history and cultural criticism, he provides a profound meditation on the structure, promise, and limits of objectivity in the age of digital media.
 
“There is a growing unhappiness about the direction of news coverage. Readers and viewers want ‘objectivity’ back. The first step toward doing that is to understand where ‘objective’ journalism came from in the first place. Just the Facts is a good place to begin.” —The Washington Monthly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814764152
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	11/21/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	297
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

A former assignment editor for CNN, DAVID MINDICH has also written for the Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, the Christian Science Monitor, and New York Newsday.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Refreshing, imaginative and thoughtful, David Mindich here reveals intriguing pictures of America's past as he probes terrain generally obscured beneath unquestioned generalizations. He takes readers on a guided tour of nineteenth-century American culture and journalism as he explores changes in print news structure and presentation through a focus on reportage of major events and ideas across nearly seven decades."

-Hazel Dicken-Garcia,Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota

"Few issues are as central to our understanding of journalism as the debate over objectivity. In this original and engaging book, David Mindich extends our understanding of it in many directions."

-Mitchell Stephens,author of A History of News

"Taking a fresh, panoramic view of objectivity, David Mindich improves our understanding of a key journalistic concept. This perceptive book offers both intriguing stories and a helpful historical framework for current debates on press performance."

-Jeffery Smith,University of Iowa

"There is a growing unhappiness about the direction of news coverage. Readers and viewers want 'objectivity' back. The first step toward doing that is to understand where 'objective' journalism came from in the first place. Just the Facts is a good place to begin."

-Jonathan Alter,The Washington Monthly

"Superb. . . . Mindich links history to contemporary practice by examining the current debate about objectivity through his 100-year-old lens."

-Steve Weinberg,The Christian Science Monitor

Editorial Reviews

"Taking a fresh, panoramic view of objectivity, David Mindich improves our understanding of a key journalistic concept. This perceptive book offers both intriguing stories and a helpful historical framework for current debates on press performance."

Jeffery Smith

"Superb. . . . Mindich links history to contemporary practice by examining the current debate about objectivity through his 100-year-old lens."

The Christian Science Monitor - Steve Weinberg

"Refreshing, imaginative and thoughtful, David Mindich here reveals intriguing pictures of America's past as he probes terrain generally obscured beneath unquestioned generalizations. He takes readers on a guided tour of nineteenth-century American culture and journalism as he explores changes in print news structure and presentation through a focus on reportage of major events and ideas across nearly seven decades."

Hazel Dicken-Garcia

"There is a growing unhappiness about the direction of news coverage. Readers and viewers want 'objectivity' back. The first step toward doing that is to understand where 'objective' journalism came from in the first place. Just the Facts is a good place to begin."

The Washington Monthly - Jonathan Alter

"Few issues are as central to our understanding of journalism as the debate over objectivity. In this original and engaging book, David Mindich extends our understanding of it in many directions."

Mitchell Stephens

"Few issues are as central to our understanding of journalism as the debate over objectivity. In this original and engaging book, David Mindich extends our understanding of it in many directions."

-Mitchell Stephens,author of A History of News

"There is a growing unhappiness about the direction of news coverage. Readers and viewers want 'objectivity' back. The first step toward doing that is to understand where 'objective' journalism came from in the first place. Just the Facts is a good place to begin."

-Jonathan Alter,The Washington Monthly

"Taking a fresh, panoramic view of objectivity, David Mindich improves our understanding of a key journalistic concept. This perceptive book offers both intriguing stories and a helpful historical framework for current debates on press performance."

-Jeffery Smith,University of Iowa

"Superb. . . . Mindich links history to contemporary practice by examining the current debate about objectivity through his 100-year-old lens."

-Steve Weinberg,The Christian Science Monitor

"Refreshing, imaginative and thoughtful, David Mindich here reveals intriguing pictures of America's past as he probes terrain generally obscured beneath unquestioned generalizations. He takes readers on a guided tour of nineteenth-century American culture and journalism as he explores changes in print news structure and presentation through a focus on reportage of major events and ideas across nearly seven decades.”

-Hazel Dicken-Garcia,Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota

From the Publisher