I've read countless letters from viewers and comments from readers on every news website. I have determined that the general public does not understand "spin" in news, or in fact how news is written. I will try to explain here.
First I will explain spin. Spin is a very general term used in the media for how we tell a story. This applies to everything. Do you talk about the sub-prime mortgage crisis just in numbers- how much has been lost and by whom? Do you instead talk to the people who have lost houses and jobs as a result, making it a very personal story? Do you cover the political side, asking Congress what they plan to do about the situation? Which would you choose? Congratulations. Your choice can be called a spin.
Journalists are people. They have political beliefs, religious beliefs, families, biases, childhoods, brand loyalties, likes, dislikes, and thoughts just like every person does. The difference is we must not allow these beliefs to impose upon our work.
There are some people who are paid to be journalists for a particular cause. Their role in a news organization is to be the conservative pundit, the liberal pundit, the military expert, the science expert, etc. When you read these journalists' articles, they will have a view they are specifically supporting. If you listen to David Brooks, you will hear a conservative Republican viewpoint. If you listen to Mark Shields, you will hear a Democratic viewpoint.
This isn't bias. As long as equal time is given to each viewpoint, journalism ethics require that both pundits are given a voice. However, even hard-news stories are accused of being biased. What's funny to me is that it does not seem to matter what the story is about. Conservatives will view the news as too liberal. Liberals will view it as too conservative. It depends on what they agree with.
I will be the first to say that journalists and reporters are not perfect. We have gotten facts incorrect in the past. But I can tell you we do our damnedest to make sure that we are right. Every article, TV news segment, and radio sound bite is scrutinized by editors, producers, other reporters, and fact-checkers (that is someone's job) to be sure everything is correct. We nitpick for hours over which words are used. We call back our sources and make sure our notes were correct. During the election we counted the minutes on air we gave each party candidate to make sure it was even.
So what is considered bias by journalists' standards? If we get the Democrats' view on a policy or law, but neglect to ask the Republicans that is bias. Unless of course, our story is specifically on the Democrats' point of view, or on the Democratic Party. We may have to make that our story if no one on the Republican side of the aisle will talk to us. Is it bias to not ask what the Green Party thinks? That depends. Does the Green Party have a voice in Congress? Is the Green Party a crucial part of the story? Most likely it isn't. We have done stories on the Green Party, but the reason minor political parties do not have a lot of coverage in the mainstream media is because they are usually not making a lot of news. If the Green Party stormed Congress demanding a bill on water conservation be passed, we would cover it, and ask every Green Party member everything we could.
We cover news based on what we believe is important. I don't care if the American Socialist Party is holding a meeting on Tuesday if the meeting does not relate to the larger discourse. We pick up on what people are interested in now, and what people need to know. That is what the news does. If it's not generating interest (especially an interest to our audience), we're not printing it. It's that simple.
And yet the news does print stories on every angle of every subject. All you have to do is browse a few news sites to find journalists questioning the Iraq War from day one, or warning about the stock market crash, or interviewing politicians on earmark reform. It may not have always been front page, but if someone could find the information and found it newsworthy, it was printed somewhere.
There are very few absolute truths in this world. Politics hold none of them. If you disagree with coverage of someone in the news or of an event, then check the facts yourself, and be sure you use good sources. Write your Congressman, your Senator, or call your mayor. Call the person in question. You can actually read all bills proposed in Congress on the internet in their entirety. Read the stimulus bill, and see how you feel about it. News journalism exists to inform the public, asking the questions because the entire populace is unable to do so every day. If you think it's a spin, consider your own biases first.
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