Either I'm feeling far too cynical today, or Lewis Black has somehow inhabited my body, but I feel a bit of a rant coming on.
This week in Mass Media & Politics, one of the questions we were asked is do we think the mass media does a good job of enlightening voters and informing them about their electoral choices. Really? And no, I'm not being snarky about the question itself. It's a very valid question and one I can understand why my professor would ask.
What perplexes me is the idea of trying to honestly answer that without my own biases showing through. Of course my first gut reaction would be to say, "Sure, if everyone is watching MSNBC they're informed and on top of things. It's those dimwits at Fox and their viewers that are totally clueless."
Of course I can't really say that on our message boards. It wouldn't be very kind or diplomatic of me to do so. Nor would I want anyone calling me a dimwit. So, to my credit, I refrained. But the question still remains unanswered. Does the media do a good job?
One point that stuck out to me from our reading this week was from the Graber text. She points out that there is political and structural bias with regard to the substance of coverage done by media outlets. Really? Of course there is. But that initial first reaction is obviously just taking political bias into consideration. Let's look at what she termed structural bias.
"...structural bias reflects the circumstances of news production. Balanced reporting may be impossible when candidates' newsworthiness and willingness to talk to reporters vary or when their campaigns are linked to different issues. Structural bias, even though it lacks partisan motivation, nonetheless may profoundly affect people's perceptions about campaigns." Doris A. Graber
Well, there we go! Finally I have found my excuse for sitting back and laughing at Fox News and their coverage of candidates and the issues. It's not me, it's the candidates' campaigns and their links to the issues that causes by blood pressure to rise.
Yes, I understand that Ms. Graber is not judging the issues themselves, she is merely saying that some campaigns may be linked to issues that other campaigns are not linked to. But, holy smokes! Isn't that what politics is all about? The issues?
I had felt a Lewis Black rant coming on. One complete with a diatribe about Americans losing their ability to think clearly, their obsession with excess, and their ever-present need to win at any cost in the their zero-sum mentality of politics. But thankfully I've found an outlet, or maybe a scapegoat? I've learned that it's okay for me to know I'm right, and giggle at some candidates and what they espouse. It's not political bias on my part. It's merely the fact that their campaigns are linked to certain issues!
Oh, thank you, Ms. Graber! :)
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