Varsity Don Tasks Journalists On Balanced Reportage

Dean, Faculty of Arts, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Professor Samson Dare on Wednesday, challenged the media all over the world to embrace balancing in news reportage rather than objectivity that is commonly associated with bias in realistic communication.

The professor of English Stylistics who advocated for paradigm shift emphatically declared that the media’s search for objective reportage is “unrealistic, unnecessary and unattainable” in communication and such should be jettisoned by the practitioners all over the world.

He stated these while fielding questions from journalists shortly after delivering the institution’s 114th inaugural lecture.

Urging the media to always stick to balanced reporting of all sides concerned in a matter and leave the public to decide instead pursuing objective reportage, the inaugural lecturer argued that balanced presentation is possible and practicable.

In the lecture titled: “My Mouth, My Pen, My God”, Dare, who cited himself as an example, also pointed out that man is subjective and can never attain objectivity in life because of a concatenation of factors which often slipped into the mind to colour the  presentation of facts by an individual.

“Objectivity (in media) is not even necessary. It is unnecessary and unattainable. From the earliest conception, what you talk about is balance, balance presentation. In other words, if you take an angle and report it, go to the other side and report the other side and leave the public to decide or make up their minds.

“You can never attain an objectivity in life because if you are a Yoruba for example, you are from a particular family, you attended a particular school, have a certain level of intelligence and you practice a particular religion, all of these will have an impact on your thinking, even the fact you are presenting. So, objectivity is not possible, it is not attainable. Balance presentation is possible and practicable”.