A lot of journalism wants to have what they call objectivity without them having a commitment to pursuing the truth, but that doesn’t work. Objectivity requires belief in and a commitment toward pursuing the truth - having an object outside of our personal point of view.

Silver is distinguishing between “objectivity” as a professional pose and objectivity as an epistemic discipline. In his view, reporting can’t be genuinely objective if it treats truth as optional or unknowable; neutrality without truth-seeking collapses into “both-sides” stenography or the mere balancing of viewpoints. He reframes objectivity as having an “object” outside the self—an external reality that can be investigated, tested, and revised against evidence. The quote also reflects Silver’s broader data-driven sensibility: claims should be evaluated by methods and standards (facts, probabilities, verification) rather than by personal identity, tribal allegiance, or performative detachment.