Advocacy journalism is a genre of journalism that intentionally and transparently adopts a biased viewpoint, usually for some social or political purpose. Because it is intended to be factual, it is distinguished from propaganda. It is also distinct from instances of media bias and failures of objectivity in media outlets, which attempt to be—or which present themselves as—objective or neutral.^{[citation needed]}

Traditionally, advocacy and criticism are restricted to editorial and op-ed pages, which are clearly distinguished in the publication and in the organization's internal structure. News reports are intended to be objective and unbiased. In contrast, advocacy journalists have an opinion about the story they are writing. For example, that political corruption should be punished, that more environmentally friendly practices should be adopted by consumers, or that a government policy will be harmful to business interests and should not be adopted. This may be evident in small ways, such as tone or facial expression, or large ways, such as the selection of facts and opinions presented.^{[citation needed]}

Some advocacy journalists reject that the traditional ideal of objectivity is possible in practice, either generally, or due to the presence of corporate sponsors in advertising. Some feel that the public interest is better served by a diversity of media outlets with a variety of transparent points of view, or that advocacy journalism serves a similar role to muckrakers or whistleblowers.

See also

Journalism portal

• Howell Raines
• Objectivity (philosophy) main article discussing the concept of objectivity in various fields (history, science, journalism, philosophy, etc.)
• Environmental journalism
• Science journalism
• Journalism
• Objectivity (journalism)
• Journalism ethics and standards

Groups

• The NYC Grassroots Media Coalition seeks to "organize for increased resources for local communities and for media advocacy."

History

• Carberry, Belinda. The Revolution in Journalism with an Emphasis on the 1960s and 1970s Brief history of alternative journalistic forms, including references for further reading. Designed for use by high school teachers.^[1]
• "Cornel West: The Uses of Advocacy Journalism" The Tavis Smiley Show, 15 December 2004. "Commentator Cornel West and NPR's Tavis Smiley discuss the notion of advocacy journalism in America, in the tradition of W. E. B. Du Bois, I. F. Stone and Ida B. Wells." RealAudio or Windows Media audio program
• A Brief History of American Alternative Journalism in the Twentieth Century. Randolph T. Holhut.^[2]

Criticism of advocacy journalism

• Moore, Charles W. "Critical scan reveals that advocacy journalism is rampant" The New Brunswick Telegraph Journal 2004.06.29] This article criticizes the mainstream Canadian press for engaging in "advocacy journalism" on behalf of liberal causes.
• Campbell, Dennis. "The sorry state of American journalism" October 7, 2003 Criticizes "advocacy journalism" of all political stripes as "opinion disguised as news" and "propagandizing". Identifies "advocacy journalism" as a post-Watergate phenomenon.

References

External links

• "Best Conservative Blogs on the Internet," Urban Conservative, July 13, 2007.

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