We are pleased to announce the publication of a new open access article, “The Changing Boundaries of Journalistic Objectivity: Hybrid Journalism, Standpoint Theory, and Editorial Ethics in Poland,” authored by Anna Jupowicz-Ginalska and Greta Gober. This study, published in the Annals of Social Sciences, examines how Polish media navigate objectivity amid political and economic pressures in an era of epistemic accountability.
The study situates its findings in the backdrop of declining press freedom in Poland, state control over media, and fragmented ethical standards. It shows that Polish journalism is grappling with political pressures and market forces while trying to uphold journalistic integrity. The study shows that objectivity in Polish journalism is no longer a fixed principle but a negotiated process that adapts to ethical, political, and institutional challenges. This reflects a broader trend toward a more nuanced understanding of journalistic responsibility.
Key Insights from the Study
Redefinition of Objectivity: We argue that traditional journalistic objectivity – understood as strict neutrality – is increasingly seen as outdated in complex, polarized societies like Poland. Instead, newsrooms are shifting toward epistemic accountability, emphasizing transparency, ethical commitments, and inclusion of marginalized voices. This shift reflects broader global trends but is shaped by Poland’s unique political pressures and media landscape.
Five Editorial Strategies Identified: Through interviews with editors-in-chief and senior editors, we have identified five strategies used to navigate objectivity. These practices challenge outdated norms of “both-sides” reporting and aim to correct systemic blind spots in media coverage.
- Values-Driven Objectivity: Centering journalism around core ethical values (e.g., human rights), rather than superficial neutrality.
- Strategic Framing: Prioritizing certain perspectives (like victims in gender-based violence cases) to correct historical biases.
- Selective Pluralism: Actively filtering out harmful or extremist viewpoints while fostering diverse but responsible discourse.
- Fact-Based Editorial Discipline: Focusing on factual accuracy, particularly in scientific or health-related reporting, while rejecting false balance.
- Critical Engagement: Balancing engagement with activist movements without compromising editorial independence.
Influence of Standpoint Theory and Hybrid Journalism: Our study examines theoretical debates on objectivity, via standpoint theory, and hybrid journalism. In short:
- Standpoint theory (Harding, 1992) challenges dominant newsroom norms by arguing that knowledge is socially situated and that incorporating marginalized perspectives provides a more accurate understanding of reality. In journalism, this translates to epistemic resistance, where journalists critically engage with dominant narratives to expose blind spots in media representation (Durham, 1998; Maqsood, 2023).
- Hybrid journalism moves beyond classical neutrality, emphasizing editorial transparency, contextualization, and selective framing in reporting (Ruotsalainen, Hujanen, and Villi, 2021). Rather than treating objectivity as mere detachment, it integrates interpretation, values, and audience engagement while maintaining factual accuracy (Zamith, and Westlund, 2022). While classical objectivity assumes all perspectives should be equally represented, hybrid journalism rejects false equivalence, prioritizing epistemic accountability – ensuring that journalistic knowledge production remains rigorous, fact-driven, and socially responsible (Callison, and Young, 2019).
Funding Information
The research leading to these results has received funding from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014–2021 under research project no. 2020/37/K/HS2/03773, titled Diversity Management as Innovation in Journalism.
For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC-BY public copyright license to any Version of Record (VoR) arising from this submission.
📖 Read the full article here: https://czasopisma.tnkul.pl/index.php/rns/article/view/3754
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