It is actually quite easy to write something that is “objective” and “neutral”. However, Der Spiegel does NOT fit this description.
The most popular newspaper, at least some time ago in the US, was USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com One of the main reasons for this was that they used color. What sells a paper or magazine is not quality of reporting, it’s conflict, sensationalizing, color, pictures, etc. That’s the market Der Speigel is in. Der Spiegel is to weekly magazines what Bild is to a daily paper, trash. The fact that Der Spiegel is a popular magazine is no testament to its accuracy, neutrality, or anything else. It’s rather a statement of their ability to “sell” news.
When issues are controversial, is it a hard concept to grasp that fair reporting means both sides get equal coverage? That both sides are represented by people of equal rank and authority on the position? That the moderator is there to keep the discussion on topic, and not throw rocks to the side he does not support and throw snowball questions at those he likes. The media has come to a point where it is acceptable to literally have three liberals and a moderator discuss a topic and claim this was an objective view.
It’s easy to measure bias!
Content bias can be determined in many ways. This is one example-
We can look at the use of Syntax (Key words), referential (example drawing connections to Vietnam in Iraq), propositional, or thematic (Your story on this PC game) as measures of bias. Copy articles into a Word doc and then do searches and you’ll see trends. Coincidence? No.
***Der Spiegel “FAILS” in every aspect*** Bias in reporting is blatant.
Because the US is a religious country, thinks nationally, is economically conservative, has an English heritage, Der Spiegel generally will have a negative reporting slant in what they write about the US since the US in those aspects is everything Der Spiegel opposes in it’s editorial slant. That’s why they pick up on such nonsense articles such as this computer game. The goal of such a nonsense story is to associate guilt. I could state that in Germany there are some NAZI’s and continually run stories on these two NAZI’s, what image would that create? Is Germany really at risk of falling under control of the NAZI? No. In Germany you recently had another school shooting. If the same would have happened in the US, what would Spiegel have written, who would they have “spun” it reference gun laws in the US? Trying to associate the American Christian right with a no name computer game which no one watches is like trying to say all Germans are NAZI’s because someone somewhere in Germany wrote a NAZI statement. It’s BS news, and when a media outlet “consistently” engages in such behavior, as Der Spiegel does, it’s a testament to their agenda and lack of professionalism as a media outlet.
It's not news, it's creating news, news that fits into their agenda.
I advise you to wait until you have a new president, no matter whether democrat or republican. But I think I understood what you're saying.
The Spiegel has a history of investigative journalism (as does the Times, if I'm not mistaken). Since the former owner and chef Augstein died, they have become worse. I am not reading the magazine constantly, just checking the internet portal every day (along with Tagesschau.de and google news).
But to put it like this: Even if I should agree with you that the Spiegel is a no-good lieing piece of chlorophyll, that would still change nothing about the convert or die christian fundamentalist game, would it? You find it unfair that they report it (even in an online publication under 'internet news', hardly a good place for a media war campaign)? Because 'no one will play it anyway'? I am a Lutheran and I wish all the best to Christianity, but seriously, that game is SUCH a gift to everyone ridiculing Christian fundamentalism, that all I have left for those who feel adressed by that Spiegel Online story is:
Awww...