The newspaper must provide for the reader the facts,pure,unprejudiced,objectively selected facts.But in these days of complex news it must provide more; it must supply interpretation,the meaning of the facts.This is the most important assignment facing American journalists-to make clear to the reader the problems of the day,to make international news understandable as community news,to recognize that there is no longer any such thing as"local"news,because any event in the international area has a local reaction in the financial market,political circles,in terms,indeed,of our very way of life. There is in journalism a widespread view that when you start an interpretation,you are entering dangerous waters,the rushing tides of opinion.This is nonsense. The opponents of interpretation insist that the writer and the editor shall limit himself to the"facts".This insistence raises two questions.What are the facts?And:Are the bare facts enough? As for the first question,consider how a so called"factual"story comes about.The reporter collects,say,fifty facts; out of these fifty,his space being necessarily restricted,he selects the ten which he considers most important.This is Judgment Number One.Then he or his editor decides which of these ten facts shall hold the lead of the piece.This is Judgment Number Two.Then the night editor determines whether the article shall be presented on page one,where it has a large influence,or on page twentyfour,where it has little.Judgment Number Three. Thus in the presentation of a socalled"factual"or"objective"story,at least three judgments are involved.And they are judgments not at all unlike those involved in interpretation,in which reporter and editor,calling upon their research resources,their general background,and their"news neutralism ",arrive at a conclusion as to the significance of the news. The two areas of judgment,presentation of the news and its interpretation,are both objective rather than subjective processes-as objective,that is,as any human being can be.If an editor is determined to give a prejudiced view of the news,he can do it in other ways and more effectively than by interpretation.He can do it by the selection of those facts that support his particular viewpoint.Or he can do it by the place he gives a story-promoting it to page one or dragging it to page thirty. Which of the following can best express the author's attitude toward objectiveness?
He does not think there exists any objectiveness in news writing or reporting. To make clear the news is a way to be objective for the readers. Objectiveness is controlled by editors rather than writers. Properly choosing facts prepares a solid ground for objectiveness.