General discussion
Thread display: Collapse - |
All Comments
Start or search
Create a new discussion
If you're asking for technical help, please be sure to include all your system info, including operating system, model number, and any other specifics related to the problem. Also please exercise your best judgment when posting in the forums--revealing personal information such as your e-mail address, telephone number, and address is not recommended.
Media bias ...
The most common incorrect assumption is that the media has some duty to provide the public with the "absolute" truth in all regards.
In fact the media has no obligation whatsoever. The various branches of the media are merely industries whose primary funtion is to return a profit to their shareholders.
The only laws which apply directly to the media are libel laws and ownership monopoly laws.
You will not find any government legislation which requires the media to be honest. However within particular publications, and if a journalist joins a professional union, a code of ethics may apply. But the government is not involved in policing these codes.
Some publications will target a particular social group by attempting to provide the best quality of reporting that is feasible. Others will deliberately target the sensation seeker -- I understand the the British tabloids specialise in this.
I worked for a number of years on the now defunct Daily Mirror, which was regarded as the worst "rag" in Sydney. But let me assure you that I was under as much pressure there as at the Sydney Morning Herald, to report as accurately as possible.
Now to bias: this is sometimes as interpreted as "it's different from my point of view, therefore it is biased." As regards political bias, the media in Australia retains a fair balance and in fact the only news source that is continually attacked as having a left-wing bias is the Government funded ABC.
Deliberate political bias will only come from the owner of the publication which, in turn, is almost entirely dependent upon advertising income. As an example, if a newspaper has a cover price of $1, about 90 per cent of this comes from advertising. If there were no advertising, there would be no media, period.
The second primary aspect which the reader overlooks is that the media is competetive, and time is of the essence. In order to stay ahead of or even with the competition, the newspaper/radio/TV staton must get the basic story published as soon as the rudimentary facts are available. It might take weeks to research a story and refine it.
Finally, in the vast majority of instances, the information comes from a third party. Parliament is one of the few exceptions in which the reporter can actually hear the words as they are spoken, study body language and gauge acceptance/disagreement by the actual real-time response.
So next time you are on the point of exlaiming "media bias," please try and look at some of the background factors which have led to the story being presented as it is.