Objectivity-"Check"

Objectivity is defined as something not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; and unbiased. Every journalist knows this, but every few practice it.

Take the Associated Press (AP) for instance, a well respected news wire with Nobel Prize winning writers.

One would think that a news wire like the Associated Press would be far too busy to spend time fact checking a run of the mill autobiography, but apparently Sarah Palin is no run of the mill public figure. AP managed to track down a copy of Sarah Palin's autobiography, "Going Rogue" before its November 17, 2009 release date and dedicated 11 writers to 'fact check' it. According to AP, Palin apparently, "misstated travel expenses and tax-payer funded bailouts." But that's nothing compared to the real reason they probed the book: because AP thought it, "...has all the characteristics of a pre-campaign manifesto." That's great that AP wants to hold people accountable, but AP doesn't fact-check frequently if at all. How do they know its a "pre-campaign" manifesto? It's an autobiography, not a campaign platform. Books by Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Ted Kennedy all received traditional new stories upon their releases---not fact checks nor accusations that they were "manifestos".

No matter what Palin stated, didn't state, or even the way in which she stated it, need not be the concern of the AP. How is it that AP even has time to fact-check? There's news going on in the world that the AP is completely missing wasting time on Palin's book. Let the readers be the judge of Palin's truthfulness or lack thereof.

This demonstrates how media really works. Objectivity is a thing of the past and the Palin fact-check debacle is an excellent example of this. AP received copies before the release date with no reason to believe that anything in the autobiography was untrue. The writers read all 432 pages to find anything to discredit her. They let whatever bias they had cloud any sense of objectivity. This also demonstrates how the media is better with people than with policy. It is far more interesting to engage in sensationalist journalism and personalities than it is to focus on a Senate or House Committee meetings and debates of policy. Unfortunately for Palin, AP is more interested in her trips than her policies.