Transparency is the New Objectivity

According to this article (and many others) transparency is the new objectivity on the Internet. Whereas newspaper reporters aspired to present both sides of a story in as unbiased a manner as possible, those who blog or report on the Internet should aspire to provide links and state their biases upfront, according to this writer. In fact, the writer even goes so far as to say, "Objectivity is discredited these days as anything but an aspiration, and even that aspiration is looking pretty sketchy."

While I agree that it seems impossible for writers to be truly objective, that doesn't mean we shouldn't still aspire to that standard. The Internet makes it very easy to link to sources one interviewed, provide links to Web sites that offer further information and state one's biases upfront. In fact, Web articles that do not include links to sources seem fabricated or slanted incredibly to one side.

Still, this doesn't mean that the standard of objectivity should be eliminated. I think writers should still try to present both sides of a story, even as their biases put them personally in favor of one side over another. One should state their biases at the top of the stories, but still make every effort to include sources that go against their personal views.