Poll #9 asked “How objective is local Tanzanian news?” The poll was open for a week on the Vijana FM homepage sidebar from October 4th to November 11th.
Results indicated 3 responses:
- 67% responded “Very subjective (not objective)”
- 33% responded “Only slightly objective”
- None responded “Half objective, half subjective”
- None responded “Mostly objective”
- None responded “Very objective”
We recieved less votes on this poll compared to previous polls and we know about the problem of generalizing any results on these polls. Still, results are leaning towards the opposite side of what “news” is actually supposed to represent: Objectivity.
Is it possible to discuss why news in Tanzania is not objective? Rather, why do we involve our subjective contexts in the representation of the news? Is this a bad thing because it biases the news, or is it a bad thing because it is not communicated to the audience? Is it even accurate to call news in Tanzania very subjective?
Discussion welcome below. Thanks to our 3 voters this week!
Further reading:
- Community media wiki (UNESCO Tanzania)
- Tanzania Media Fund (TMF)
- It’s absurd to say nice things about Obama… (East African Op-ed)
- The myth of objectivity in journalism (Washington State University)
- News media impact on the ingredients of presidential evaluations (Ohio State University)
This week’s poll asks “Do you think Tanzania is a secular state?” Answer choices are “Yes” and “No”. Voting takes place all week on Vijana FM’s homepage sidebar.
