Crime/Confict news among National/Local publications

According to the notes we received in class, 31% of local news is made up of information on crime and/or conflicts, while 28% of national news is made up of crime and/or conflict news. After initially hearing this, I thought that these numbers were pretty surprising. I would think that the New York Times would have then the Ithaca Journal to report about crime and conflict with the war in Iraq and the civil wars throughout the world. The more I think of it, however, it makes sense because local news is more likely to report about the crime incidents (assault, homicide, robbery, etc.) that go on in the community, where the New York Times is less likely to write about such incidents, unless they are brought to the federal level, which happens less often. The New York Times is also more likely to write about national economic issues, where as local news talks more about local businesses and events.

Objectivity in modern society

It may be argued that modern technologies have sort of taken the job of a journalist at its most basic form -- people have the ability to inform themselves instantaneously and draw their own conclusions based on the information that is given to them. I think that objectivity is now obsolete in this age because people like reading an INFORMED point of view, and not necessarily the "truth." This may sound kind of ridiculous, but if the "truth" existed, most of the problems in the news would be resolved and no debate would exist. In other words, the world news in modern day society is so complicated that ONE single objective view of them is impossible -- there are several perspectives in all of these issues and focusing on one of them as being the "truth" would do a disservice to the public. That is why its important for people to get their news from multiple sources so that they can draw their own conclusions from all of the news coverage.

Maybe the role of the journalist and the ideal of the "objective bystander" should be reinvented. Maybe if journalists released themselves from this unrealistic standard they would be able to do better work, and in effect, produce better and more relevant news. Although lots of journalists have tried this and continue to produce informed but subjective reporting, this idea has yet to be accepted in the mainstream.