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Shhh - Don’t Tell Anyone You’re Biased…
via cephyn by cephyn on May 09, 2008
Our media is tainted. Really - and we don’t even know it. Well, maybe we do, but the media sources will never admit it. They’ll even go so far as to fire someone for expressing support for a candidate. But it doesn’t make sense - the media is made up of people, like you and me (sorta) that have opinions. They believe things. And I’m sure they choose sides. But they’ll never openly express them - they’ll claim they’re being “balanced” - and I think that’s akin to lying.
When you become a sports reporter, you are “supposed” to set your team allegiances aside and report from a neutral stance. That’s “journalism” in action. The problem is - if you’re a sportswriter, you probably got into the business because you like sports - probably a specific team. It’s wrong to have to either set that aside or hide it. And many newer, younger columnists are writing from a fan’s viewpoint - and they openly admit they’re homers for a team. And for me, that’s OK - I’d rather know.
This translates into politics as well. Why is a staffer fired for saying she supports McCain - yet nothing done to a reporter who quietly does as well? Are we to assume that this reporter 100% never lets his/her bias color their reporting? Is that even possible? I don’t think so. I think, as a reporter, you should not only be allowed to voice your preferences - you should be obligated to. Let known your bias, and let the viewer judge what that means for your reporting. If all reporters did that - openly - no one would worry about “fair and balanced” news coverage - you could go to multiple sources and compare. You would know the bias - and that would be truth in reporting, a real journalistic ideal.
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