Last week I blogged about a conversation I had with colleagues Chuck Zimmerman and Allison Finnamore on whether farm journalists should be advocates for the industry. We talked about what advocacy really means, whether objectivity is truly possible, transparency, and technology.
But a comment on Owen Roberts’ column about this issue has stuck with me:
Journalists, ag and otherwise, should strive to be objective. We might not like what 'the other side" is saying and might believe it to be incorrect but we need to hear it from an objective voice. Ag industries should advocate for agriculture.
Those remarks were written by Peggy Strankman, who is active in the agriculture industry and currently consults under Barbwire Consulting.
Today everyone with an Internet connection can voice their opinions and potentially spread misinformation, whether they mean to or not.
While well-researched columns are important, I can’t help wondering if objective journalism is even more important today than it has been. I decided to talk to Karen Briere for her take on advocacy and objectivity.