Isn't the news media suppose to be politically unbiased?

Question

Each source is a little different and I can read in the paper or hear on t.v. a tinge (sometimes a big slant) of influence peddling.

Answer 1

In an ideal world, all press coverage of any kind of story would be 100% factual and unbiased. More realistically, however, there are two primary influencing factors that make this impossible: The person funding the coverage, and the author's own biases.

Journalists need to sell their content to somebody - they may be freelancers or they may be employed full time by a newspaper or TV network. In any case, the people paying for the article probably have their own personal opinions around an event, and have a vested interest in skewing the news in a certain direction. As a result, the person trying to sell the article to this biased individual or company, skews their article slightly as well.

The second factor is somebody's own personal bias. Perhaps the author's brother is a policeman and is worried that the police department may come off as the bad guys - leading the author not necessarily to lie, but to tell a certain version of the events.


The key to all of this is that the skewing may be intentional - or it may not be . On the one hand, there may be financial or political interest in a certain "take" in an article. On the other hand, there may be no incentives one way or the other, and a purely factual account is intended. However, by nature, the perception of events is highly subjective: Two people who witness the same exact event will tell a very different story as to what happened. (Maybe one person missed an initial verbal insul, and only saw an unprovoked punch, but the other person saw the initial insult that provoked the incident. Those individuals will tell a precise account of the facts of the event - but those facts will differ dramatically.)

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

Where is it written that the news media are "supposed to be" anything? We have freedom of the press in this country, which means that the news media can say, broadcast, and print just about anything they want to (unless it is slanderous or libelous). There are no laws anywhere saying "the new media shall be unbiased."

Now many of us might wish they were unbiased. And most of us probably think the sources we rely on are unbiased. But there is no legal or other obligation on their part to be so. The results are seen in the marketplace, both that of money and of ideas. The National Enquirer, for instance, has a bias toward the sensational, and it may not always get its facts straight. It makes a fair amount of money for its owners, apparently, but it is not very highly regarded as a serious news source. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, on the other hand, make lots of money AND are highly regarded because of their reputations (sometimes questioned) for publishing the truth---even though one is noted for its liberal bias and the other for its conservative bias. Having a bias does not necessarily mean something is not a good or reputable news source.

You have to research, compare, and think for yourself. You always have. Read a little history about the Hearst newspapers. If you think we have trouble today . . .

Answer 3

The news media - aka the "fourth estate" - is supposed to be the protector of American freedoms. Yes, newspapers are certainly entitled to their opinions (that's what the Op-Ed pages are for). But news reporting should be unbiased, objective, fair and balanced. Unfortunately, today's huge media conglomerates don't give a rat's behind about being fair or balanced, unbiased or fair. The beancounters who run the media conglomerates only concern themselves with profit, at the expense of accuracy or integrity.
Media is "big business" (there are fewer than 2,000 independently owned newspapers in America today). So, Americans are fed a pabulum diet of hyperbole, lies, distortions, and propaganda, exactly how the Nazi Party brainwashed its German citizens into believing whatever the government said. News programs today simply take the government-provided press release and report it verbatim as if it's true, factual, and completely accurate.
Not since Watergate, when two enterprising reporters dug out the truth about the Nixon administration, has there been any kind of reputable reporting from the giant news corporations. They 'peddle' their influence, report the 'facts' they want reported, and ignore their responsibility as the "Fourth Estate" that is intended to serve as a watchdog for the American people. It's tragic. -RKO- 05/04/07

Answer 4

You finally figured it out?? There is quite a bit of bias in TV and print news, mostly left wing bias; CNN, ABC, CBS,NBC & PBS..are mostly left leaning news stations, with reporters who are decidedly slightly left of center. Most major newspapers are clearly left wing & make no apologies when their writers bash the President & conservatives on a consistent basis; NY Times writer, Frank Rich & Maureen Dowd are the gold standard for the left-wing secular press!! They never cease to inject their own political agenda into their pieces...even though, it's off the charts, unethical journalism. The right wing has been more successful in talk radio & can be, many times, just as caustic in their broadcasting, but don't reach the extensive audience, the others do.The only real "fly in the ointment" for the Left-Wing media ,is, of course, Fox News...!!!! This cable channel out ranks all the others in ratings for one simple reason...they hold the powerful accountable, whether Dem or Repub. & take no prisoners!!!.

Answer 5

Comedy needed is annoying to triumph over. it relatively is many times stable for a chortle and is extra honest than Hannity, who's additionally stable for a chortle and a suited merchandise of ridicule. Did you hear the be conscious to Hannity from John Cleese? A be conscious to Shawn Hannity Aping urbanity, oozing with conceitedness Plump as a manatee, faking humanity Journalistic calamity, psychological inanity Fox noise insanity, you’’re a profanity, Hannity.

Answer 6

In a perfect world perhaps, it would be nice if the news was just reported.
The news is bad enough on most days without all the political crap that's force fed to us on a daily bases.

Answer 7

this is just one way the corporations have taken over, all the media stations are corporate owned, and depending on what your corporation does depends on how they slant the story. why do you think they want to control the Internet so bad, it is one of the only forms of true speech left in our country! and look how many stories are now broken over the Internet!!

Answer 8

You have to know where there coming from.
It is suppose to be unbiased, but know their background and perhaps you will understand they write what the public wants to hear.

Answer 9

It takes 12 seconds for the Yahoo Answers web page to display for me to be able to click on the [add your answer] box. thus, is my laptop slow??

Answer 10

Yes and i'm an alien lizard from the 7th dimension.