Fairness In Journalism: Should we expect it?
 

I'm usually hopeful that fairness will prevail but I often feel let down. Perhaps I should learn to face reality: A newspaper or magazine etc. is a business, not unlike other businesses where their main motivation is to make money, period. So if there is ever a conflict between fairness and making money, making money will win the day.

Fairness prevails in newspapers, magazines etc. when, 1) it helps the bottom line 2) it doesn't hurt the bottom line or 3) it may appear to hurt the bottom line somewhat, but it's a major news report that must be told.

Any comments?


:popcorn:

When the top ranking journalists and newspapers ,television stations,etc in the country intentionally lie or mis-inform, mis-characterize or otherwise point to only their partisan view then you know the country is in deep trouble.

To exacerbate the problem people have been so badly mis-led that they often don't know what is true anymore.

A specific segment in education are bent on re-writing history. This is a tactic that use to be used only by communist/dictator states

The world is in a more dangerous place now than it was even a few years go. We desperately need ethical leadership in our government and every industry in the private sector or we are going to go the way of the Inca's

I never had such concerns before but we are leadership deficient leaving us in a vacuum. Who or what will fill that vacuum is the $ 64,000 question?

I agree totally. :bigbow:

none of the media you mention as well as any others one could add to the list have no interest in fairness or truth.

They have one criteria and that is any and everything they report will ALWAYS be in accord with, in support of or promotion of their ideology and political stance.

Even if they were given the benefit of the doubt and we allowed they do or did not lie. They would still be intent on their agenda merely by ommitting any news or discoveries that were not consistent with their agenda.....which they do every single hour of every single day ....NOW.
We live in an age of managed news......has been that way for many, many years. Just more potent and impactful now with the advent of technology and 24/7 brainwashing type reporting.

There may be a small number that meet your desire, however they are isolated and not very far reaching....unfortunately.

Maybe we should just go back to this; it worked for many many years. And it brought people together for face to face discussions.

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Chi-Town: At the very least, given its only one town crier, we would be facing only one lie at a time:)

Well stated. Maybe we would need a panel of town criers where each would yell out their take on the news. Oh wait, I think that idea is already taken.

YOU ARE RIGHT CHI...and it is this forum.

Here is some new news from Wesh2 at noon.. The Orlando Police shot and killed a man this morning while serving some kind of a "high profile" drug warrant at his home. He emerged from another entrance carrying a gun. He was shot several times.

His family is very upset and angry with the police.

What is your reaction? What is your first question? What do you think will happen? What do you think should happen?

I would want more information before forming an opinion. Unfortunately, news doesn't work that way; they all rush to be the first with the latest. I'd probably fall over in a faint if I heard a news reporter actually say, "Something happened, we aren't sure what but will get back to you as soon as we have factual information to report."

Not to change the subject but what I had in mind was newspapers, magazines etc. having to create a favorable atmosphere for their advertisers.

Who are the advertisers?

Doctors and clinics

Auto Dealers

Realtors

Supermarkets

Restaurants

And others


So, above all, a friendly environment must be maintained to keep the above segments of the market happy. Nothing should be offensive to them if they are to continue advertising.

Saw the Wesh2 news video and story on the internet, and my first reaction was that they could just play that piece on a regular basis. Just change the names, because the story is always the same: known drug dealer with a long criminal record brandishes a gun during an arrest, police shoot him, and the family is distraught that their loved one was "gunned down". What is really pathetic is that the beat goes on and on.

I don't get it. How does this relate to this thread? How does it relate to the profitability of a newspaper? It would help if you would state what the connection is.

Yea your right and what makes it worse are that far too many of them are tripping over their tongues and fingers focusing on being politically correct rather than honest and correct..... can you say undocumented workers,....can you say a Russian incursion vis a vis a Russian invasion. Where are the Mike Royko's Bill Buckley's Edward R. Murrow's etc etc etc

I'm probably going to regret it, but I'm going to weigh in here. I have been a journalist for 39 years, either as a reporter, editor, and now as a journalism professor. I've worked for both small and large newspapers, magazines, and lobbyists. What we are taught in school is not what we experience when we start working in the field. Many of you are correct. The bottom line is all that matters. I've been told to exclude information, deny coverage, or pump up more advertisers than I care to count. I lost a job once for offending an advertiser. I went into journalism education because I saw our profession descend into the muckraking that was going on in the early 20th century. I hoped I could influence a few to report objectively. I teach ethical reporting and hope that some will land in a job where they won't have to lie. The current trend in reporting is also opinion reporting--no more being objective. At national conferences we're told that the general public is too stupid to interpret the news for themselves. So, as a result of this training, you have a 21-year-old telling you how you should think and act. And they grow up in the business being applauded for doing so. This is my last year as a journalism professor. I am switching over to English full time. I've had enough and I just can't defend my profession any longer.

Fairness in journalism???
 

Always, Always there will be a personal bias, no matter what!