Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Colored Glasses
A new Rasmussen poll
shows that most Americans think that the media is biased, mostly to the left. This few is shared by people of all political spectrums to a varying degree, except for some core liberals that think that at least major media is fair and balanced (neither they nor I are talking about FOX). Those results should surprise no one, except the major media. My guess is that most professional media type belong to that core liberal group that deceives itself in thinking that their viewpoint is a neutral viewpoint. Traditional media is losing viewers/readers/listeners because it is in that same self deceptive frame of mind: “Just the Facts Mam.” Professional Journalists vet the news to report accurate and neutral facts. That was never the case. Journalists have always presented the world through their rose (green, black, brown,) colored glasses. Certainly Ed Murrow’s broadcast from the London Blitz were not examples of neutral reporting. Ed’s reporting did not attempt to balance the impact of the bombs with a human impact story of the bomber pilot. He took a side in that conflict, and reported based on his views and impressions.
Many of us never had any illusions that the Press was neutral, but the coming of the internet destroyed that illusion for all but the most committed progressives, and the “professional” journalists.
In contrast the reporting by new media reporters like, for example Mike Totten, is much more honest. Mike does not hide his views, but still tries to give a full picture. Since he tells us what color glasses he is wearing we can put the appropriate filter to his reporting. With the proper color correction we get a much truer picture then being told we receive the objective truth. ¶ 5:43 PM
shows that most Americans think that the media is biased, mostly to the left. This few is shared by people of all political spectrums to a varying degree, except for some core liberals that think that at least major media is fair and balanced (neither they nor I are talking about FOX). Those results should surprise no one, except the major media. My guess is that most professional media type belong to that core liberal group that deceives itself in thinking that their viewpoint is a neutral viewpoint. Traditional media is losing viewers/readers/listeners because it is in that same self deceptive frame of mind: “Just the Facts Mam.” Professional Journalists vet the news to report accurate and neutral facts. That was never the case. Journalists have always presented the world through their rose (green, black, brown,) colored glasses. Certainly Ed Murrow’s broadcast from the London Blitz were not examples of neutral reporting. Ed’s reporting did not attempt to balance the impact of the bombs with a human impact story of the bomber pilot. He took a side in that conflict, and reported based on his views and impressions.
Many of us never had any illusions that the Press was neutral, but the coming of the internet destroyed that illusion for all but the most committed progressives, and the “professional” journalists.
In contrast the reporting by new media reporters like, for example Mike Totten, is much more honest. Mike does not hide his views, but still tries to give a full picture. Since he tells us what color glasses he is wearing we can put the appropriate filter to his reporting. With the proper color correction we get a much truer picture then being told we receive the objective truth. ¶ 5:43 PM
