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Old 02-26-2004, 04:39 AM   #15 (permalink)
gibingus
Insane
 
Location: 38° 51' N 77° 2' W
oh, i failed to mention last night in explaining the difference between opinion pieces and news pieces that authorship of articles are not from reporting or editorial staff of the paper.

thomas sowell is not a journalist, he is a fellow of a very right wing special interest group. the hoover institution is a peer of the heritage foundation and the american enterprise institute. such articles are published to present polarized view points, and are generally balanced throughout the publishing cycle according to the discretion of the opinion page editor by views from the other pole.

the injection of bias or personal opinion into a news story is called "editorializing" and is considered by professional journalists and editors to be a cardinal sin. because fox news engages in editorializing their news coverage by allowing their anchors and reporters to opine on the subjects they cover, most professional journalists question their ethics - not becuase of the right wing slant of their news schedule. it is perfectly acceptable for a publication or broadcaster to chose a perspective from which to cover the news. in a competitive information industry, that is why some media are called liberal or conservative, they cater to some degree to their readerships' interests in order to provide the best demographic to their advertising customers.


understanding these basic journalistic ethics and principles are not only key to understanding the information that is presented before you, but they are your best defense against propaganda and manipulation by any radical interest - either right or left wing. understanding the competitive, free market nature of the news industry is also crucial to understanding the role of the media as the independent guardian of the public trust and watchdog of all cultural organizations, including government and religion. when you consider that the news industry is a free market business arena, it is absoultely absurd to call the media "liberal" in the way conservatives commonly apply that term. there is no better evidence of capitalism in clear play than in today's competitive media.

building trust and protecting it is the key to viability of the press as a business... and it is a lesson that applies to us all. that's why jason blair's lying in his news stories was a big deal, that's why clinton's perjury over his infidelities was a big deal - you cannot abuse the public trust, even if it doesn't really hurt anyone. in the case of this administration's misrepresentation of intelligence data to the public to justify the case of invading iraq (we have not declared war), this is very important to keep in mind.
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Last edited by gibingus; 02-26-2004 at 04:43 AM..
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