While focusing on the consolidation of media outlets and the Fairness Doctrine this week, I began thinking of what we really are provided by the major news outlets. Are our needs being met by the majors? Are they reporting the news, or are they interpreting the news for us. Are we getting a "fair and balanced" approach?
Of course I am using Fox's slogan, and it would be far too easy for me to rip on that company's "news" department. But what type of format would I really like to see take shape? Do I want the media outlets to simply report the news, free of opinion, and free of explanation?
Being a political junkie, I don't mind doing the extra digging to find sources which include studies and facts. However, I unfortunately don't think most Americans want to take the time to become better informed by spending the extra amount of energy that is required to do so. So just how do the seemingly lazy Americans become better informed on the important issues of the day? Can the journalist "explain" the news in a non-partisan manner? Do I want them to?
A recent article from the HuffPost examines this dilemma in light of the Affordable Care Act and the public's incredible ignorance regarding its specifics. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/obamacare-and-the-media_n_3950692.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
Poll after poll has shown that the majority of Americans favor the components of the bill when asked. However, if they are asked if they approve of the ACA or Obamacare, they are overwhelmingly against it. Why the disconnect?
First, I think the Obama administration has failed miserably in the PR dept regarding the specifics of the bill. But back to the question, should journalists explain the specifics, or is that being partisan? Chuck Todd, whom I have a great deal of respect for, believes they should explain the components of the bill. And I think he's right. Simply pointing out that kids can stay on their parents' insurance until they're 26 is not being partisan, it's pointing out a new fact. I don't have a problem with that. I wonder if they're discussing this and other components of the bill on that fair and balanced news network? Nah, I doubt it.
Allen, that's a great post. I really see eye to eye on you on the point you're trying to make. I don't believe we, as society and the people, receive the "fair and balanced" approach to news like some networks may claim. It's blinded truth. Yes, they state facts, but not the entirety of it. It's like wearing a patch over one eye. You can still see, but not the whole picture. That's how it is with our news. Networks like FOX keep the patch over the left eye so all you can see is the right-winged side of things. Networks like NBC have that same patch. It is just on the right eye so you only perceive the left-winged view of things. I really don't understand how we, the people, can be so black and white on something so important. Like I wrote in one of my blog posts, it is critical to know both sides and the in-betweens so you can get the whole story.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and your comments!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Whitney on this. FOX news is far from "fair and balanced", and it is a shame that they chose to select that as their slogan. At the same time, MSNBC (which if I recall correctly is your network of choice) is overly biased as well. Luckily, they don't suffer from a slogan that outright lies lol.
ReplyDeleteI have always found it entertaining when a media outlets conducts polls on political issues, especially when they ask people on the street various questions. I can recall multiple times that people have made absolute fools of themselves, playing right into the hands of whatever the agenda was for the outlet that conducted the interview. To your point, I agree that we the people are fairly ignorant as a whole, especially in complicated matters such as the ACA, tax code, immigration, etc. While I do not believe that we can rid the media of bias (nor do I necessarily think we should), I do wish that we could be more open about the bias of the major news outlets. Heck, we could start with FOX. They could either change their slogan completely, or keep it and add "Fair and Balanced-- when taken into consideration with weighing the other major media outlets", but that isn't nearly as catchy.