Networks of Reference: Rethinking Objectivity Theory in Journalism

Objectivity is a central tenet of modern journalism, but both practitioners and scholars have long expressed dissatisfaction with the concept. In this article, we argue that such dissatisfaction stems from the habit of envisioning objectivity in absolute terms (something is either objective or subjective) as well as in subtractive terms (objectivity is achieved when journalists expunge values from facts). Drawing on Bruno Latour’s work and the constitutive view of communication, we propose instead to approach objectivity as something that gradually emerges within “chains of reference,” through which objects of the world become at once more “mobile,” that is, easier to transport and combine (e.g., through pictures, recordings, testimonies, articles), and more “immutable,” that is, capable of withstanding more and more tests and objections. We then present a method to evaluate how news stories show the various elements that constitute their chains of reference.