Presented in partnership with Wellesley Neighbors.

American tust in the media is at an all-time low. According to a recent Gallup poll, 65% of Americans say that they have “not very much” trust or “none at all” the media. At a moment in history when we need accurate and reliable Americans disagree not only on the interpretation of facts, but on the facts themselves. In response, many have called for a return to objectivity- the “just the facts, mam” style of reporting from an earlier era. No concept has had a greater influence on journalism than that of objectivity. Citizens and journalists alike proclaim its importance and yet they often lack a clear understanding of its origins and implications. In this talk, Rachel Gans-Boriskin will explore the components of objectivity, the objectives of objectivity, and the serious objections raised against it. By looking at specific historical moments, Gans-Boriskin will highlight the ways in which objectivity is a casualty of its own success, identify the way in which the current norms of objectivity undermine our ability to meet the moment we are in, and offer suggestions of how objectivity might still offer some hope.

Rachel Gans-Boriskin is Partner and Principal at NOVL, a strategic consulting firm that helps clients develop value-aligned strategic goals, identify challenges, generate possibilities, and design implementation systems. Rachel is a former Associate Professor of Communication at Simmons University. She is an expert on journalism and storytelling, having run grants on the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation, and political communication in both journalism and fiction. She lives in Central Massachusetts with her family.

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