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My dad was part of the pioneers of public broadcasting in Canada. And he always told me the most important thing you can be in your career is fair. So we all start to see a box and hope that we see the box in the same way. But you recognize in time that people see the box or they see traffic accidents in entirely different ways. So you train yourself over the years to try and give accounting to the variety... and come to some decent place in the middle. But I'm not a slave to objectivity. I'm never quite sure what it means. And it means different things to different people.

Peter Jennings#17

JournalismCareerObjectivityJusticePerspective

About this quote

What does it mean?
Fairness is the most important trait in a career, but true objectivity is hard because people see things differently. You must account for these different perspectives to find a decent middle ground.
In plain terms
Be fair in your work, but realize people see things differently so you need to balance their views to find common ground.
What can you take from it?
Strive for fairness while acknowledging diverse perspectives.

Where it applies

  • journalism
  • leadership
  • conflict resolution

Putting it to work

  • balancing viewpoints
  • seeking consensus
  • practicing fairness

Questions to consider

  • How do you balance your own view with others?
  • What does fairness mean to you?

Another view

True objectivity may be impossible to achieve fully since everyone has biases.

More from Peter Jennings

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  3. I was so focused on all of that, that it took me many hours, until my kids called, ironically. My kids both called and just left a little message that they wer…

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