Bias in the News

As the years go by, either I have noticed it more, or the problem is getting worse, but the mass media nearly always seems to take sides on essential questions. Whether listening to the radio, watching TV, or even reading a daily newspaper, the first few words often seem to take a position on the subject matter at hand, which makes it extremely difficult for the average person to judge what is true, what is untrue and what is partially true. Objectivity seems to be ignored. Why?

While writing this, I wonder whether it is me or if most people agree that my observations are correct and if they look at the question objectively, that extreme bias seems to permeate most mass news outlets. It makes me wonder what is driving this phenomenon. Is it the views of the reader, writer or presenter, or are various employers’ policies involved? Are the companies behind those individuals pulling the strings, and if so, what is in it for them? Who or what is the driving force?

I am a great fan of democracy, which, in principle, means that the majority rule. If this is indeed the case, if the powers at be are going to take a position, should not responsible media organisations reflect the majority views of their readers, listeners or viewers? Or better still, could they not just provide the facts to the best of their ability and let their customers make up their own minds? If the former is the case, why have I never seen or heard of any media taking a poll of their customer’s social, economic, religious or political views? If I am correct in these assumptions, I assume they are genuinely ignoring the facts and are just trying to change society to their way of thinking. That’s not real news!

It is a sad day when the majority of the popular everyday media appear biased in one way or another. How can any society act positively and respectfully when continuously bombarded with half-truths and biased information? Unfortunately, many in our community find it extremely difficult to take such information with a “grain of salt” and sort out the “wheat from the chaff”. Logical thinking and impartiality also do not seem to be taught in our schools, and that is another crucial subject altogether.

It seems a fundamental quirk of society that many individuals are happiest when they take sides. I am not sure whether this is the result of human pack mentality, or they are just taking the simplest path. This question will be developed in a later post.

The question is – how can such a situation change within a free enterprise system? All the private media companies are free to spout what they like within the law. At the same time publicly owned media outlets do not always reflect the societies they are supposed to represent. In the latter’s case, I believe that their stance on any particular subject often reflects the presenters or writers point of view.

Is there a solution to the above problem other than teaching all our children how to think and act independently and logically, while at the same time, respecting everyone else?