Independence in Journalism

Journalists must maintain an independence from those they cover. This directly relates to objectivity. Journalists cannot fulfill their role unless they have independence. Sure you can get the full story if you are experiencing what you are writing about. However, if you are not independent then you have a biased view when reporting. This is general knowledge in the news world. We can find evidence of this in the news this past week. NPR host, Michele Norris, stepped down as her husband joined Obama campaign. Her husband, Broderick Johnson the new senior advisor. Norris says, "she will rescue herself from all election coverage but will continue reporting for NPR on other subjects. She steps down as host at the end of next week" according to Fox News. People should admire Michele Norris for not concealing the role of her husband in Obama's campaign. Others have not taken the higher road in the past. Many journalists have written speeches for political figures and then praised them afterwards. One such example is William Kristol who commented on a speech given by John McCain when he in fact wrote the speech. Why can't people just be more transparent? Independence is one of the elements of journalism. Practice what you preach!