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Silencing The Media - Page 3

I am moving a discussion from this post to here.

Murdoch does appear to be somewhat conservative, but only slightly. Perhaps it is a huge difference between what we, in the US see as being liberal and coservative that makes it appear this way.

What I see in the US media is that they don't even RECOGNIZE a "left". The National Organization for Women, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and NARAL Pro-Choice America are all considered mainstream, while virtually all traditional churches, and even the extremely moderate (left side of moderate at that) John McCain are considered right-wing.

Despite the fact that 85% of the people of the US favor at least some restrictions on abortion, the news media claims that unrestricted abortion is mainstream, while parental notification laws are extreme right-wing.

Certainly some of it is. But the mainstream US media consistently refuses to print news about good things happening in Iraq, focusing ONLY on the bad things. They don't bother to report about a young man who came back from Iraq with a prosthetic leg being spat upon by people in Seattle, but glory in reporting on a couple of guys who claim to have become anti-war after their time in Iraq. Of course, interviews with soldiers who think we are completely right are forbidden in any news report.

How about the recent kerfuffle about the comics in Europe? NO major US media would show the comics. They have no problem publishing comics that make fun of the Pope, showing some entertainer mock Christ by pretending to be crucified, etc. But show that Muslims are overreacting, violently? Not a chance.

Now, I don't want to silence journalists. I want to expand journalism. However, I want it to be truly fair and balanced. Fox News brings a little bit of balance to the equation, but it is drowned out by the leftist clamour from the rest of the media in the US.

Personally, I believe that some blogs are a HUGE step in the right direction. They provide extensive fact checking, commentary on stories, and some of them provide a lot of news that the mainstream media either overlooks, or just plain is embarassed to report on.

Media Silencing

I would suggest that Fox News is extremely conservative and unbalanced in its coverage. I have seen interviews by Fox anchors that make me cringe. They are so supportive of the Republican party and the extreme right (those two don't always meet) it makes you wonder whether they are an active sponsor.

Balance isn't about reporting only one side of a story to balance the mainstream view. It's about allowing both sides a fair chance to respond to an issue in a single report. As a journalist you are compelled to be fair and balanced but it can be difficult. Sometimes you might discover something that places one side clearly at fault. It is your job as a journalist to report the truth above all else, and help your readers understand a situation. But it is not the role of reporters to post each side, regardless of credibility, and hope that readers can make their own minds up. Most journalists are experts of their round, so a good reporter will provide some analysis to help people understand. You have to remember, most organisations spend a lot of money on PR officers to hide or distort the truth.

Does that make any sense?

The media should not be partisan to any political organisation.

Going by some of the points you raise, I would suggest that Australia is a less conservative society than the US. Perhaps I view the US media as conservative, whereas you view them as left wing.

I think we have to look a bit deeper when criticising the media's coverage of Iraq. I don't believe there is very many positive stories to come out of that country right now. It appears to be on the verge of civil war and the invasion was a disaster by any measure. It's very sad anyone should spit on troops regardless of their opinion or role in the war. Did they provoke such a disgusting reaction? And this should have been reported, you are right about that.

Leading up to the war the media was very supportive of just about anything the Coalition said. I have studied the media coverage of Iraq and I can tell you the US mainstream media was beating the drums of war quite loudly.

As for Blogs. I have made my opinion known about them on previous posts. Blogs are often untrained opinion writers who use snippets of information - often without verifying authenticity - to fulfil an agenda. That doesn't mean they don't play a valuable role in society. They can provide a different perspective to the mainstream view.

But the problem with Blogs is that they are totally unregulated and don't have the same legal safeguards that media organisations are bound by. This often means they can say just about anything without fear of defamation or reprisal. They are not accountable for what they produce and who is going to police their credibility? It's not a reliable way to get information, but certainly valuable to find different opinions.