I think that many journalists feel that this is their job, but I don't want to be told why the news is important. If you do that, then you introduce your own personal biases very heavily into your writing. What is wrong with just reporting the news? I thought that is what journalists were supposed to do: report the news. The only comforting thing about this statement, is that at least they are admitting that their writing is biased. Really how can you be completely neutral about a topic. You can't. You can minimize it, but it is very difficult to be completely neutral.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Problem with the Media
The other day I was reading an article from BYU's newspaper the Daily Universe. I was shocked to read. "We are not content to merely report the news. We will tell the community why the news is important to them."
I think that many journalists feel that this is their job, but I don't want to be told why the news is important. If you do that, then you introduce your own personal biases very heavily into your writing. What is wrong with just reporting the news? I thought that is what journalists were supposed to do: report the news. The only comforting thing about this statement, is that at least they are admitting that their writing is biased. Really how can you be completely neutral about a topic. You can't. You can minimize it, but it is very difficult to be completely neutral.
I think that many journalists feel that this is their job, but I don't want to be told why the news is important. If you do that, then you introduce your own personal biases very heavily into your writing. What is wrong with just reporting the news? I thought that is what journalists were supposed to do: report the news. The only comforting thing about this statement, is that at least they are admitting that their writing is biased. Really how can you be completely neutral about a topic. You can't. You can minimize it, but it is very difficult to be completely neutral.
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I disagree a little bit. I do agree that the news is usally pretty biased; however, it is not because of relevency. You can report why it matters without being biased. For example, the news story is that some prominant person in a foreign nation died. Okay, but they also report why it is important to you... turns out he controlled most of the oil coming to the US out of that country so oil prices will rise because the new guy in charge hates the US. That reports the news and why it is important, without a bias spin. Lame example (because it wouldn't happen with OPEC and all), but hopefully you can at least see my point (even if you think I am wrong). I think you CAN report the news and the relevency ("why it is important to you") without being biased, they just usually don;t- they also throw in opinions or just report one side of the news. But that is a whole different issue...
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