In this episode, Kathryn, Khary, and Rachel talk about what they’ve been taught regarding objectivity, how it can show up in science and journalism and among friends and family, and when aspiring for objectivity undermines nuanced and accurate stories about power.
IDP Resource: Listening & Learning with "I" Statements
Episode 10. Objectivity
Discussion Questions
- What have you been taught about separating facts from feelings? Separating facts from biases? Separating facts from opinions?
- How do you make decisions about which media you consume? What role does objectivity play in these decisions?
- What role does objectivity play in your reactions to the media you consume?
- In what ways can a lack of representation/diversity in a profession (e.g., journalism, psychology, politics) skew the output produced by people working in that field?
Writing Prompt
How do you understand objectivity? What role do you think objectivity does play in society now? What role do you think objectivity should play in society now?
Related Readings
- A reckoning over objectivity, led by Black journalists (Lowery, 2020)
- How Trump should change the way journalists understand “objectivity” (Illing, 2020)
- The pitfalls of “objectivity” (Warner, 2017)
- The unbearable whiteness of mesearch (Ray, 2016)
- Awareness of our biases is essential to good science (Potochnik, 2020)
Experiment with IDP’s latest offering: Listening & Learning with the “I” Statements podcast. This guide is an accompaniment to our podcast, “I” Statements, where people with different identities come together to share their own beliefs, experiences, and perspectives, demonstrating both the power and the possibility inherent in communicating across difference.
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Cite this IDP Resource:
- APA: Intergroup Dialogue Project. (2020, September). IDP Resource: Listening & Learning with “I” Statements, Episode 10. Objectivity. Intergroup Dialogue Project – Dialogue Across Difference. https://idp.cornell.edu/idp-resources/idp-resource-listening-and-learning-with-i-statements/idp-resource-listening-and-learning-with-i-statements-episode-10/
- MLA: Intergroup Dialogue Project. “IDP Resource: Listening & Learning with “I” Statements, Episode 10. Objectivity.” Intergroup Dialogue Project – Dialogue Across Difference, Cornell University, September 2020, https://idp.cornell.edu/idp-resources/idp-resource-listening-and-learning-with-i-statements/idp-resource-listening-and-learning-with-i-statements-episode-10/
- Chicago: Intergroup Dialogue Project, “IDP Resource: Listening & Learning with “I” Statements, Episode 10. Objectivity,” Intergroup Dialogue Project – Dialogue Across Difference, Cornell University, September 2020, https://idp.cornell.edu/idp-resources/idp-resource-listening-and-learning-with-i-statements/idp-resource-listening-and-learning-with-i-statements-episode-10/