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The media - The crisis of subjective objectivity

On the face of it, the theme of this article sounds like a counterintuitive paradox. To many discerning individuals, journalistic objectivity remains an unflattering oxymoron. Lest you are perturbed, relax; I do not intend to subject you to a gruelling yakking by reducing this article to a prosaic, uninspiring and anti-press jeremiad.

However, we need an objective-centric press that subscribes to the abiding norms of accountability, accuracy, impartiality and autonomy.

On average, we are spoiled to more than one local weekly newspaper each day. We have a wide pool of journalists. Is there a positive correlation between the quantity and the quality though? Is the fidelity of some of our journalists solely towards conventional journalistic practices, some of which might unwittingly fuel the public’s diminution of trust, or have all the members of the Fourth Estate tended to slant towards unbiased reporting? I enter this space acutely aware of this fact; there will never be a consensus on who has the right to serve as the final arbiter on journalistic quality and objectivity.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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