Noise from the jungle (vol. IV)

This is a direct continuation of my last installment regarding interesting quotes on campus. From the same professor:

The overarching mold of [media] objectivity is completely unrealistic.

Interesting to say the least, and not totally untrue. But what is to be the replacement if they are not to even bother striving for objectivity as we have expected them to do for so long?

The question is not whether there should be bias. The real question is: "Which bias benefits the largest number of people?" It is strictly utilitarian calculus. John Stuart Mill would be proud.

My immediate response is that the decision he speaks of, to decide what bias benefits the most people, is strictly subjective, and in his teaching methods, he ends up distracting from discussion the merits of his model (public journalism) by taking sides on issues and advancing an agenda through the model.

Clear as mud?

Crossposted at Western Washington Unraveled