By Samuel Scott

Should mainstream news outlets first and foremost create profits for shareholders or neutrally, objectively and thoroughly educate the public? That is the battle for the soul of journalism today.

From bias to neutrality and back

The idea that journalists should be neutral and fair is relatively recent. In the US, newspapers took sides during the Revolutionary War. Throughout the 1800s, publications were essentially propaganda tools of political parties. Late in the century, ‘yellow journalism’ yelled sensationalist headlines, published scandal-mongering stories and even helped to provoke the mistaken Spanish-American War.

But business changed things in the early 1900s. Publication owners discovered that offering advertising Read full story ›

Source: The Drum