American citizens are an interesting group that has united to form the United States of America. A band of independence seeking vagabonds escaped the crown of England in the 1700's, and that same spirit still lives on in the hearts of many Americans. More of that independent spirit may be instilled in the hearts of American journalists than in anyone else.
The pressures of the world nearly force journalists into neutrality. People on the left will cry out against one report, while people on the right cry out against another report. Many journalists feel that being neutral is the only way to escape the constant pull from both sides. Neutrality can kill a good journalist. When attempting to remain neutral in your views you coincidentally become a prisoner to everyone else's views and opinions.
Neutrality is not a core principle of journalism, and it isn't a core principle for a reason. It can rob you of independently reporting the news. Much like a car sitting in neutral a journalist will find themselves going nowhere. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nuetral Puts it well when it uses the word idiot to describe neutrality in an example sentence. To be totally neutral you must be completely uneducated. Abraham Lincoln has been quoted as saying, "I do not like that man, I must get to know him better."http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln It is the same with neutrality. We can only say we do not care or have no opinion if we do not understand the situation.
There is a definite difference between neutrality and objectivity. Objectivity has more in common with honesty and transparency than neutrality. When being objective you report without intending to stay neutral. You report what happened, and that is the job of a journalist. When remaining neutral you allow loyalty to neutrality to override your loyalty to journalism. That is when the independent spirit of the journalist is lost. We must keep our independence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRa002nTSwk
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