“Objectivity” in Journalism Perpetuates Racism
A former reporter on why she left the industry
Before I quit journalism in 2016, I got to tell a lot of stories over my 17-year career. There’s one I’ve kept mostly to myself — until now.
After graduating from Hampton University with my journalism degree, I spent most of my career in Pittsburgh, where I got a job as a copy editor, news editor for a few of our weekly community newspapers, then as a columnist, which was my dream. But once I got this job, I had to beg for someone to considerably edit my work and provide any kind of personal feedback. I was replacing another lone Black columnist, and no one advised me until about two years into the position. When I began to write about race, someone called me one day and told me the reason I had my job was because I was Black. I hung up and told my co-workers what the caller said and one of them said, “It’s true, isn’t it?”
After I wrote about the case of Jordan Miles, his lawyer called me about one of his other clients. Her name was Lena Davenport, and she was the mother of a Black man who was currently in jail. Donald Burris Jr. had been driving with his mother one night when he ran a red light and when the police tried to pull him over, he kept going. The local police gave chase for about five miles, and finally, Burris crashed his…
