Evolving journalism norms: objective, interpretive and fact-checking journalism

Birks, Jen

Abstract

This chapter will first query the various constructions of ‘bad’ audience responses to information and argumentation, and suggest an approach that neither expects too much of news audiences (and inevitably finds them wanting) nor patronizes them (and expects them to accept authoritative accounts ‘just because’). Secondly I will evaluate journalistic epistemologies in terms of how they enable that audience response, in particular, comparing objective journalism and interpretive journalism. I will do so in reference both to ways of knowing (the facts) and ways of interrogating (what we do with those facts within arguments). Finally, I will argue that fact-checking journalism, as a particular form of interpretive journalism, demonstrates a positive model for enabling a reasonable audience, not as a sidelined genre as it currently stands, but as a central journalistic practice. Ultimately, ‘objective’ journalism cannot help audiences to make better judgements because it only takes responsibility for small facts and leaves its sources to fight it out – theatrically but unilluminatingly – over the big truths. A more effective direction for political journalism indicated by fact-checking journalism is to focus on how the factual assertions are used appropriately or misleadingly in arguments.

Citation

Birks, J. (2021). Evolving journalism norms: objective, interpretive and fact-checking journalism. In The Routledge Companion to Political Journalism. Taylor & Francis (Routledge)

• Online Publication Date: Oct 20, 2021
• Publication Date: Oct 20, 2021
• Deposit Date: Dec 18, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 21, 2023
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Book Title: The Routledge Companion to Political Journalism
• Chapter Number: 5
• ISBN: 9780367248222
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5462615
• Publisher URL: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Political-Journalism/Morrison-Birks-Berry/p/book/9780367248222
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge/CRC Press in The Routledge Companion to Political Journalism on 20.10.2021, available online: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Political-Journalism/Morrison-Birks-Berry/p/book/9780367248222
• Contract Date: Mar 4, 2021