Friday, June 27, 2008

A Biased Opinion?

When I watch or read the news in the morning I expect from the reporter or journalist factual based information. I find myself implicitly trusting the reporter's research, and because I am only half awake in the morning, I am not critically thinking about every statement being made.

Since this is an election year, I like many other people turn to these same reporters for the updates on the candidates' views and policies in which I will then make an informed decision on whom to vote for in November.

So let's say one morning I hear a reporter doing a a report on a candidate and is talking about the latest scandal facing that candidate. I think, gasp, how dare this person think like this!Afterwards I might log into my Facebook account because online networking is cool, fun, and sometimes useful, and find that a friend is a friend of one of the other candidates' campaign, and that a different journalist is saying something else.

Naturally I then question this reporters "report" on the scandal earlier heard this morning.

So what is the solution? Are reporters not allowed to have an opinion? Am I going to have to research a reporter everytime they report on something to see what is a biased opinion and what might be factually based?
Barbara Ciara, the president of the National Association of Black Journalists, has one way to look at it: “For us to be able to say we’re vetting every candidate with the same energy, we can’t endorse anyone and claim to be objective.”

That's true but how can you not care about the future of our country and still remain objective?

Another point to ponder is hat we here at On Your Feet Project, because of being a non-profit, can not endorse one candidate over the other. We can endorse people to get out and vote, but that is it. We can tell people our views on the environment, but not politics. We can write about how celebrities should do more for various causes, but not if those celebrities are politicians.

I think if you knew where everyone's (especially journalists') opinions lay, more people would be able to critically think about all the information they receive from the news and not just absorb it in a mindless state. I am for a more open dialogue about how one's subjectivity can effect the news today and how we report it.

So what do you think oh avid reader? Should reporters or journalist be allowed to clearly state what our opinion is?


Related posts: Super Tuesday Preview: Who's the Decider? You Are. , "Champions" of a cause

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.libarts.ucok.edu.

No comments:

Post a Comment