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Originally Posted by Stu from NYC
Very true, objectivity by the media is long gone. Reporters think we really want their point of view. Opinions belong on editorial page nowhere else.
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Very true. The problem is that today most of the sources are so good at slanting their articles a certain way, by presenting what they present in a certain way, that our opinions are swayed without even being conscious of the fact.
It doesn't have to be written (or spoken) words. Most print articles appearing online these days have a picture next to the headline. Ever wonder why so many of them have the subject of the article pictured in a very unfavorable manner? A headline slanted a certain way accompanied by an unflattering picture next to that headline can solidify the opinion of the reader of the article a certain way before Word One of the article is ever even read. Happens all the time.
Another example: say two articles present precisely the same information, nearly word-for-word. Say that the article concerns a retiring public figure. The first article refers to the subject as a "venerable statesman" while the second might refer to the subject as an "aging politician. Don't know about the rest of you, but to me, "venerable statesman" conjures up the mental of image of, say, Sir Winston Churchill. Aging politician? Teddy Kennedy.
There are many other ways our opinions are swayed. These are two of the most obvious. But don't doubt that swaying one way or the other for a minute. And it is happening to all of us.