Journalism should be fact-based and impartial. Understand why news reporters must leave their opinions at home to guard against conscious and unconscious bias.
This guide explains the importance of keeping your personal opinions out of news stories. In journalism, your job is to provide facts so that the audience can make up their own minds.
It’s based on the article Editorialising is not for news, which we suggest you read before applying the checklist below.
- [ ] Focus on the facts: Stick to providing the who, what, where, when, how and why of a story rather than sharing your feelings about the event.
- [ ] Avoid using adjectives and adverbs: Words like tragic, wonderful, or shocking are subjective. Let the details of the story show the scale of the event instead of telling the reader how to feel. See: Adjectives and adverbs in journalism.
- [ ] Use neutral language: Choose plain and direct words to describe situations. Avoid emotive language that might lead the audience toward a specific conclusion. See: Using the right words
- [ ] Attribute all opinions: If a statement is not a proven fact, it must be attributed to a specific source using a clear citation. See: Attribution and plagiarism
- [ ] Include diverse perspectives: Ensure you represent different viewpoints fairly, especially when a story involves a conflict or a disagreement. See: Diversity in journalism
- [ ] Keep your distance: Maintain a professional detachment from the subject matter to ensure your personal biases do not influence the narrative. See: Unconscious bias in journalism
- [ ] Verify your sources: Always check that the information you are using is accurate and comes from a reliable person or document. See: Developing and handling news sources.
- [ ] Be careful with tone: Read your work aloud to check if it sounds biased. The tone should be calm, informative, and fair at all times. See: Language and style – the basics
- [ ] Let the audience decide: Your role is to be a neutral observer. Provide all the necessary information and trust your readers to form their own opinions. See: Impartiality in journalism.
- [ ] Check for hidden bias: Review your final draft specifically to look for any words that might suggest you favour one side over another. See: Integrity in journalism.
Mastering the art of impartial reporting is a vital step on your route to journalistic integrity and excellence.
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