Today, most, if not all would agree there’s a need for objective journalism. The media has gradually shifted away from objective news and offers more opinion-based content that appeals to emotion and relies on aggressive debate and advocacy. That isn’t our opinion, but backed-up with a recent study by RAND Corporation, a California-based non-profit, non-partisan think tank and its recent report around objectivity, or lack thereof, in American media today.

Over the past 15 years, more than one in five papers in the United States has closed, and the number of journalists working for newspapers has been cut in half. That’s over 2,000 newspapers have closed since 2004, a staggering figure since the industry was once among the largest employers in America.

If you’re a student studying journalism, a retired journalist or simply someone who cares about your improving your community and would like to write for Rutherford Magazine or TennesseeLedger.com just email us at MikeSparksTn@gmail.com.

More and more in American journalism, we’re hearing opinions in news that look and sound more like a “Dear Diary” entry than the facts of a story. This is fueling mistrust from readers and viewers just looking find out what happened without being preached to.

As the infamous quote by American author Simone Elkeles goes, “opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one, but they think each other’s stink.”

The latest evidence of the opinion trend comes from RAND Corporation, a California-based non-profit, non-partisan think tank and its recent reportaround objectivity, or lack thereof, in American media today.