Having actually taken Journalism 101, and subsequent courses, I can pretty much say that's bunk. The truth is that journalism as a major is rather dry and techincal. 101 basically covers the basic writing styles, pyramid, inverse pyramid, some basic headline stuff, how to calculate the word count into inches, etc etc. Then you get to move on to the really fun courses like intro editing, which is copy-editing and is about exciting as watching water sit in glass, and about as political as the average poodle. Don't even get me started on photojournalism, one of the few courses I ever had to repeat.
"Objective Journalism" was the Establishment in America long before Vietnam and Watergate produced the templates which that Establishment has been using since then. It was the same Establishment which, in the early days of the Eisenhower Administration, seized on the statement "What is good for the country is good for General Motors" (by Charles Wilson, Secretary of Defense nominee) as occasion to prove that "Objective Journalism" and not the chairman of General Motors was the Establishment in America. Journalism did that by inverting Wilson's statement to read, "What's good for General Motors is good for America" - a boldfaced lie about the intent of Wilson's statement.Yes, the Objective Journalism establishment is insular.Newsweek can assume a pose of injured innocence after having admitted that a story which it published which injured the reputations of the entire US military and everyone in it. Let whoso marvels at that reflect on the fact that throughout the Rodney King riot journalism was broadcasting exculpatory statements by the likes of Maxine Waters and was informing the public (potential looters included) in real time as to where the police were not able to maintain order. The Objective Journalism establishment has only one concern, and that is to aggrandize its own importance. Its central idea is that NOTHING actually matters but PR. Los Angeles being torched was a great story - and the police trying to protect the city were not sympathetic figures in the eyes of "objective" journalism.
Yesterday the President's Press Secretary was asked if the president was saying that Newsday ought to publish a story about how wonderful the US Military was. He should have replied that President Bush has repeatedly praised the honor, courage, and professionalism of the US Military, and the president would properly and proudly do so in any venue whatsoever. And it would always be the view of the president that any story which truthfully pointed out the virtues of the American military would be a good thing.