2007-03-28 08:43:16 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in News & Events ➔ Media & Journalism
The skill of the journalist is to report the facts and to interweave a web of speculation and intrigue, which can agree with some readers views and shock others.
In all features and reports, correspondents can make more reference to one side of the truth than the other, in order perhaps, to sway voters for example.
2007-03-28 09:01:20 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There's not. I am a journalist and I don't believe that's always true.
On a reputable paper, news stories are fact. They might quote people with opinions but the journalist's opinion will be kept out of it and the journalist will be fair to all sides (this is not the same as giving equal air time to all sides). Columns and opinion pieces are opinion but they are clearly labelled as comment and opinion and not presented as factual, objective news stories.
Of course, some newspapers do not abide by this. This is either to sell newspapers - most tabloid journalism panders to the prejudices of their readers in order to increase the popularity of the paper and sell more copies.
Or it can be to reflect the opinions of the owner of the newspaper. Ultimately, freedom of speech means the newspaper proprietor is allowed put whatever he/she wants in the newspaper, even if it is a mix of opinion and fact. Some newspapers are liberal, some are conservative, some are neither.
Usually, the bias and political slant comes out, not in the way they report specific news stories, but in the news stories they choose to report.
2007-03-28 08:54:35 · answer #2 · answered by Dragonfly 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's a very broad statement that would be hard to substantiate. Most reputable news agencies try to keep pure opinion out of news reporting, but it's only natural that sometimes a reporter's opinion would sneak in as fact. That's an editor's job to fix that. I tend to think that most news reported is factual, but I take a lot of what I read/hear with a grain of salt and look for multiple sources to get a complete view from which I can form my own opinions.
2007-03-28 08:59:52 · answer #3 · answered by Mama Gretch 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately, there is a terrible arrogance in most modern newsrooms. We have dumbed newspapers down to a 4th grade level, therefore, reporters have (get) to tell these stupid readers what all this information they're reading means. Reporters are now interpreters of the events they're reporting.
Personally, it's the reason I quit newsrooms and went freelance, and why I have plenty of work. I expect my audience to be fully capable of making an intelligent decision if I give them the facts. I may not agree with the decision they reach, but it's NOT my job to tell them what to think. It's my job to tell them what's going on - not just what I think is exciting or supports my opinions.
Sorry, you hit one of my biggest soapboxes!
2007-03-28 08:57:11 · answer #4 · answered by SLA 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The newspaper in our town is so biased it slants when you read it. It is very conservative and it shows. Even the sports reports are biased. I have to read sports from USA Today.
2007-03-28 08:52:55 · answer #5 · answered by robee 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Journalism school is a joke (as are many other Communications specialties). You spend one week learning Who-What-Where-When-Why-How. After that, the next 4 years are spent learning about social injustice (i.e. Bush/America/Republicans/Capitalism are very BAD!).
2007-03-28 08:58:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
they're liberal and trying to sway public opinion in thier favor. But newspapers have dropped in circulation due to competion with online media.
2007-03-28 08:49:13 · answer #7 · answered by chuck h 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋