Skewed news (BIAS)

Boston Globe ^ | February 4, 2002 | Cathy Young, Reason Magazine

[Cincinatus' Wife]

THE HOTTEST-selling book in America right now, ''Bias: A CBS Insider Explains How the Media Distort the News'' by Bernard Goldberg, is making a splash in the very media that are its target. Goldberg's claim that liberal bias is rife in television news and in major newspapers is hardly original; to most conservatives, it's about as surprising as the revelation that the pope is Catholic. But this charge is given extra weight and spice by Goldberg's background as a veteran CBS News correspondent.

[mewzilla]

With respect, I did not miss her point. I just disagree with it.

If I'm a journalist, my opinions shouldn't be injected into a story. Say I'm personally always for a balanced budget, no matter what. Professionally, I should be able to report why some people think deficits are a good idea. My opinion shouldn't matter a damn if I can bloody well keep it out of my reporting. A journalist is entitles to his opinion as long as he makes sure it doesn't skew his reporting.

Diversity might clue you in to the problem, but it won't solve it. And actually, the diversity thing might make a great band-aid, if you hire people with diverse views then do nothing else to deal with the bias.

[Cincinatus]

If I'm a journalist, my opinions shouldn't be injected into a story. Say I'm personally always for a balanced budget, no matter what. Professionally, I should be able to report why some people think deficits are a good idea. My opinion shouldn't matter a damn if I can bloody well keep it out of my reporting. A journalist is entitles to his opinion as long as he makes sure it doesn't skew his reporting.

Then become a journalist and show us all how easy it is to keep your opinions to yourself. What you describe simply isn't a credible goal.

Pure objectivity is the elusive goal of an empty mind, not a real one.

[HassanBenSobar]

Reporter's opinions still matter even if they aren't expressed in an article. The reason is that reporters and editors have to decide which stories are actually 'news'! That's why you get biased coverage when everyone's opinion is aligned, e.g., all the news outlets talk about white-on-black or white-on-gay 'hate crimes' but never cover black-on-white or gay-on-straight crimes.