Neal Boortz covers the subtlety of bias today:
Bozell uses CNN’s Judy Woodruff as an example.
- March 3, 1998. Woodruff reports that “lawyers for the conservative group Judicial Watch” had some questions about Bill Clinton and FBI files.
- July 10, 2002. Woodruff, reporting on the lawsuit against Cheney, says “The reviews of President Bush’s speech on that subject [corporate responsibility] were still coming in today as a watchdog group said that it was suing Vice President Dick Cheney.”
Clever, don’t you think? When Judicial Watch sues Clinton, it’s a “conservative group.” When it sues Cheney, it’s a “watchdog group.”
I don’t think having a media that’s biased is bad. As long as people understand that it is, and there are options for information. Hearst built his castle on bias.
But to accuse FoxNews of bias without even mentioning all the others is telling. I don’t believe they are, personally. They probably fall on the right/left line about the same place I do. Brit Hume is the best of all anchors on television. He is conservative. But he is open about when his conservative views do the talking. Most of the time, they don’t. He hosts a program which includes Mara Liassen and Juan Williams, among others, who generally operate from NPR studios and lean heavily left. What is great is that the group actually has an intellectual discussion, not a screaming debate. When things get heated, which is very seldom, Hume tones everyone back down so a discussion returns.
I have pretty much stopped watching television news. When I do watch, I pay attention to Hume, and Shepard Smith. Him I like because of his approach and attitude. And his occasional gaffe. I also see Neil Cavuto from time to time. There is no anchor more honest and sincere than he is. But his forte (“fort”, as I heard an NPR reporter pronounce it the other morning) is business. He, like Hume, has guests from all backgrounds, and maintains a civil discourse.
All other news programs have become political programs. Every story must have a political angle whether it be Michael Jackson’s legal problems or what is happening in Iraq. I don’t care what bias might exist. I just want to know what’s happening. I don’t need analysis from some pundit during a newscast. Save that for another show.
In Britain, there are hundreds of newspapers and all are delighfully biased, on both sides.
Her in the States, we have a dumb idea that a newspaper can be neutral. It’s a fallacy.
Comment by John Rogers — August 5, 2004 @ 11:12 am