All journalists are objective, except the ones who disagree with other journalists. http://ping.fm/k2rtP
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All journalists are objective, except the ones who disagree with other journalists. http://ping.fm/k2rtP
Comments are closed.
No one…
.. is objective.
It is merely a question of how honesty they are with their point of view and how well supported their arguments are in terms of evidence.
Bias is everywhre, objectivity is impossible. But that does not mean that everyone is equally “non-objective” with regard to their points.
As an analogy–no body of water is 100% pure water–but that doesn’t mean that they’re all the same and equally polluted.
Why people don’t get this.. I don’t know.. it’s not that complicated..
Re: No one…
Another interesting story on the same general theme which I had meant to post: http://gawker.com/5396209/ The Gawker people got hold of the emails between press and Elliot Spitzer’s media people during the prostitute scandal, and it’s amazing the level of deference shown to the governor’s office as the story was emerging.
The way I see it, nearly every journalist has at least these biases:
1. They are biased in favor of more eyeballs. That means finding news even where there isn’t any, and finding negativity/controversy in every situation because it draws more people.
2. They are biased in favor of keeping their jobs and advancing their careers. This may mean a lot of things, including toeing an organizational line or being surpirsingly friendly with their counterparts in PR departments (where they just might end up some day).
3. They are biased in favor of coastal media culture. 90% of our news comes from organisations based on the east or west coasts, from people who live in big cities and go out to lunch with other successful media people, technologists, and creative types.
4. They have a political bias, even if that bias is towards the center (and the opinion that people on either political extreme are nutjobs).
What irritates me is that most journalists won’t ‘fess up about any of this. They maintain this bullshit “objectivity” fig-leaf. This is why I prefer news from alternative sources (like The Daily Show, for instance), because they wear their bias on their sleeves. The bias will always be there – let it show and be done with it.
Agreed on all..
… points…
it’s partially why the Daily Show gets so much stuff right where so many others don’t. They don’t try to pretend to be anything other than they are…
It reminds me of that crossfire interview of Jon Stewart–where he just asks them to stop with the bullshit..
aha.. I found it:
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/bljonstewartcrossfire.htm
This part of the segment was just amazing…
STEWART: It’s not honest. What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery. And I will tell you why I know it.
CARLSON: You had John Kerry on your show and you sniff his throne and you’re accusing us of partisan hackery?
STEWART: Absolutely.
CARLSON: You’ve got to be kidding me. He comes on and you…
(CROSSTALK)
STEWART: You’re on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: What is wrong with you?
CARLSON: Well, I’m just saying, there’s no reason for you — when you have this marvelous opportunity not to be the guy’s butt boy, to go ahead and be his butt boy. Come on. It’s embarrassing.
STEWART: I was absolutely his butt boy. I was so far — you would not believe what he ate two weeks ago.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
STEWART: You know, the interesting thing I have is, you have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.
CARLSON: You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think.
STEWART: You need to go to one. The thing that I want to say is, when you have people on for just knee-jerk, reactionary talk…
CARLSON: Wait. I thought you were going to be funny. Come on. Be funny.
STEWART: No. No. I’m not going to be your monkey.
I know this is a bit off theme–but you know it’s an absurd time when the comedians are the most trustworthy people to get information from..