In a society of a multitude opinions, people are constantly on the lookout for “fair and balanced” news. Joy-Ann Reid, an MSNBC national correspondent, visited Wake Forest’s campus this past week through the Ida B. Wells Residency program of the Julia Cooper Center to discuss the concept of objectivity during a lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
The talk began by explaining journalism’s long history of biased reporting, particularly against outgroups and minorities. From the reporting of lynchings to coverage of the Vietnam War, Reid provided several cases of subjective journalism. From there, she transitioned to more contemporary examples of ideologically backed reporting, citing the former President Clinton as, “the human embodiment of everything Republicans thought was wrong.