The Problem of Objectiveity in Newspapers

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In 18 92, a young black woman wrote an editorial about lynchings in the South. She compiled data from newspapers and even hired private investigators to find out how many were fabricated or just not true. Her implication that white women might be seducing black men had gotten white people in memphis so mad if she went back, she would be lynched. This chasm between the white story about lynching and the real story about lynches gets shielded by the notion of objectivity.

How well do the news media serve us as citizens, and what role does the notion of “objective,” or “neutral,” journalism play in the failings of American democracy?

Story reported by Lewis Raven Wallace, with host/producer John Biewen and collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika. Interviews with David Mindich, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Kevin Young.

The series editor is Loretta Williams. *The View from Somewhere *editor: Ramona Martinez. Music by Algiers, John Erik Kaada, Eric Neveux, and Lucas Biewen. Music consulting and production help from Joe Augustine of Narrative Music.