Jim Lehrer Quotes
Well, I don't know about objectivity, but I know for certain that it's always possible for a professional journalist who understands what he or she's up to to be fair, and that's the key word. Fairness to individuals, fairness to ideas, and to issues and whatever - that is critical, and that is also part and parcel of what the job.
Kugel, Allison. "Journalist & PBS NewsHour Anchor, Jim Lehrer." PR.com, 2011.
His use of the word “character” was not meant in the general sense of a reporter’s behavior and demeanor as a human being, but rather the journalists character relative to the battle—he does not wish to kill or injure anyone but wants to communicate the events to the public. This was the “purity” to which the General referred. Actually, a number of journalists and photographers followed the suggestion and wore a white—what looks today as a full-length lab coat. See http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/cwp/4a{40000}/4a{40900}/4a{40924}r.jpg for a photo of the uniform that photographer Mathew Brady wore.
Many scholars believe that complete objectivity is impossible psychologically. Hence, neutrality is a better standard and goal some argue.
James Charles Lehrer was an American journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. Lehrer was the executive editor and a news anchor for the PBS NewsHour on PBS and was known for his role as a debate moderator during U.S. presidential election campaigns, moderating twelve presidential debates between 1988 and 2012. He authored numerous fiction and non-fiction books that drew upon his experience as a newsman, along with his interests in history and politics.
