Despite the best efforts of journalists to be objective

Question

Despite the best efforts of journalists to be objective, it is inevitable that their own biases will enter their reporting, even if inadvertently. Therefore, it is imperative that a trained editor look over journalists’ work with an eye toward detecting and removing their biases, so as to make reporting as objective as possible.

Each of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends EXCEPT:

(A) Journalists do not eliminate all of the biases that enter their reporting.

(B) It is imperative that reporting be as objective as possible.

(C) Objectivity in reporting is undermined by the presence of journalists’ biases.

(D) Trained editors are able to detect at least some biases of journalists.

(E) Journalists’ reporting that is not objective is not taken seriously by trained editors.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

This is an Assumption-based question.

The conclusion of the passage is that it is imperative that a trained editor look over journalists’ work with an eye toward detecting and removing their biases, so as to make reporting as objective as possible.

The conclusion is based on the premise that despite their best efforts to be objective, it is inevitable that their own biases will enter the reporting of journalists, even if it only inadvertently.

The conclusion is based on a number of assumptions. Since the conclusion states that a trained editor must look over a journalist’s work with an eye towards detecting and removing biases, the argument does rest on the assumption that journalists do not eliminate all of the biases that enter their reporting. Since that is what Option A states, it can be eliminated.

Since the conclusion states that it is imperative a trained editor look over a journalist’s work with a eye towards detecting and removing biases, the assumption that it is imperative that reporting be as objective as possible is evident. So, Option B can be eliminated.

Since the conclusion states that a trained editor must look over a journalist’s work with an eye to detecting and removing biases so as to make reporting as objective as possible, the assumption that objectivity in reporting is undermined by the presence of journalists’ biases is also evident. So, Option C can be eliminated.

The conclusion that a trained editor must look over journalists’ work in order to make reporting as objective as possible rests on the assumption that trained editors are able to detect at least some biases of journalists. So, Option D can be eliminated.

Neither the conclusion nor the premise mentions or indicates anything about editors not taking journalists’ work seriously. Therefore, Option E is  not  an assumption that the argument rests on.

Jayanthi Kumar.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Despite the best efforts of journalists to be objective

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Despite the best efforts of journalists to be objective

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