In the past it was known that almost any news that was coming out of non-western liberal democracies was more propaganda than journalism and they mostly lacked the objectivity required for true journalism. In order words most of the rest of the World looked up to Western liberal democracies news media when they wanted the ‘true’ news but over the last two decades, journalism in many liberal Western democracies have faced increasing scrutiny for perceived declines in objectivity, with news media often accused of partisan reporting. This shift has been particularly evident in the US, where major news media like Fox News and CNN are frequently cited as examples and this has resulted in the erosion of public trust in these kinds of media which in turn poses significant challenges to the long-term democratic process. 

It used to be that people knew that journalism in societies that lacked a democratic and free system was just a propaganda mouthpiece for those in power and everything that was said or published by the journalists was not based on objectivity but the political agenda of those in power at that point in time. Journalism in Western liberal democracies were immune to this, and it was truly independent, and they practiced with neither fear or favor and their sole objective was to bring the news to their audience from an unbiased standpoint and without the intent of supporting or opposing the government’s line.

Over the last two decades we have seen journalism in western liberal democracies becoming more like those from other places where the press is not really free. Examples like Aljazeera news, RT or TRT news have been known to only approach journalism from a point of view that is supportive of the governments in those countries, and they hardly ever say anything that is not in line with the agenda of their governments.

Now in the case of journalism in western liberal democracies, it’s on two levels; the first level is how they relay the news to an international audience and how they inform their domestic audience. When it comes to informing the international audience these news media are mostly giving the news from an angle that is in support of the narrative of their national governments while when transmitting the news to domestic audience there is a further split on news reporting based on which side of the political spectrum that that particular news organization sits on and a clear example of this is the case of Fox news and CNN when they are both reporting on the same story.

As earlier stated, the idea of there not being objective journalism in less free parts of the world has always been known but how did journalism in liberal western democracies get to this point where objectivity is no longer the standard?

There are several factors that have contributed to this shift and decline of objective journalism in western liberal democracies such as Economic Incentives, Audience Segmentation and Political Influence.

In western liberal democracies with capitalist systems with a competitive media market, sensational and partisan contents often attract higher ratings and advertising revenue. Most media companies in Western liberal democracies are privately owned, their first priority is to their shareholders whose ultimate goal is profit making. Even when these media companies are publicly owned and not fully funded by the government, they must find ways to fill their funding gaps, and this could ultimately after their objectivity.

Viewers gravitate toward news sources that reinforce their existing beliefs or bias, this encourages networks to cater to specific ideological demographics. A clear example of this is evident in the US for example where Fox News and CNN serve distinct audiences, FOX News to conservatives and CNN to liberal audiences, another example of similar segmentation exist in countries like the United Kingdom.

Media outlets in many Western liberal democracies are increasingly owned by wealthy individuals who may align with political parties or movements. These alignments, whether conscious or unconscious, shapes reporting to support particular agendas, where they are aimed at advancing the owners' views or political influence.

Shifting from objective journalism to partisan reporting in Western liberal democracies has profound implications for public trust of news media which will ultimately influence the democratic process. When news consumption becomes increasingly polarized, then it becomes difficult in fostering a well-informed and engaged citizenry, this underscores the need for a recommitment to journalistic integrity and impartiality. Another thing is that in many developing countries with unstable and evolving media spaces they look up to the media of Western liberal democracies as a standard to aspire to, making it crucial for journalism to return to the standard of objectivity that Western liberal democracies were once known for.

Oumar Fofana is a freelance writer for IA-Forum.