Is objectivity in journalism dead, or was it never really possible? Lara Pawson an author, freelancer, former BBC Journalist and Foreign correspondent says No it is not. Lara tells a story of how she went into Angola with an almost romantic view of life where she believed in objectivity and that reporting could make a real difference, but it seems as if living there and working in the industry shattered her illusions and left her thinking that objectivity is not possible.

In a lecture today on her life, work and new book my own romantic views of the BBC were brought into question. Lara presents a different side of the BBC that breaks from the unbiased pillerstone of objective reporting thats balanced and fair. Previously we’ve had guest speakers that talk of the BBC’s diversity and how they look to recruit staff from all walks of life but Lara has a different opinion, describing it as a boys club. A club that you can only gain admittance to if you are from oxford or Cambridge.

Whats more she talks about how restrictive the BBC are on what you can say and what you can do. One example she gives is the BBC’s instruction that none of its employees should be involved in the Iraq war protests that followed the announcement of the Iraq war. Another example is how the BBC have made Bob Geldof the ‘go to guy’ on Africa and that none of their reporters are allowed to criticize him. All of this gives a very different view of the organization that I have come to look up to.

It could be said that Lara has become cynical in her life as a journalist and focused on being an author instead but by her own account other reporters and former colleagues have not been best pleased with her, or her views. Is this image that she portrays of journalism real or just the opinion of a jaded woman.

I for one still believe in objectivity in journalism and that it is possible in any organization despite Lara views. I think that the responsibility lies on the individual journalist and their choices. Whats interesting about Lara is that she tells a story that suggests she was not objective when she started her career in Angola in the first place. Her romantic views about one party turned out to be untrue, but she had those views in the first place. Its almost as if when life did not live up to her views she turned her back on everything she had believed in before and that included objectivity.

Even within an organization that asks you to behave in a certain way you can still be objective, obviously the BBC had its reasons for asking people to not involve themselves in the Iraq war protests but this should not hinder a journalist from reporting on it in a fair, balanced and objective way. They did not ask for their employees to agree with the war and we all have our right to believe in what we choose, but being a part of the protests may lead to biased reporting on them.

Some people may argue that this is not right because political journalists vote for one party and then report on matters of all the parties, that their political opinion does not effect how they report politics. Asking that people not march in the protests is like asking people to not vote because this may effect the way they report on other parties. However I believe that the announcement on the Iraq war protests is an isolated example that does not represent the day to day affairs of the BBC and I don’t agree that this is the sign to the end of objectivity in journalism either.