The Fourth Estate- Right or Left

[welsh]

I got into this with CC over PM and he suggested we make a thread.

Where do you think the press is leaning- right or left? Do you think the press should be neutral, left leaning or right leaning? If the press is leaning to the right or left, why?

 

[Montez]

Ideally they should be neutral. They seem to swing towards whatever viewpoint is going to be the most controversial at the moment though, whatever is going to sell the most papers, rather than have a definite left/right wing bias.

Despite what right wingers say there isn't any "liberal media bias", and if anything I think they're softer on republicans than democrats. They'll go as overboard as they can while still appearing to have some integrity with stories about either party, but with republicans they keep it polite and business like, and tend to gloss over or neutrally portray any wrong-doing. With democrats however they go whole hog and don't spare any lurid details. The republicans would probably argue that it's because democrats are naturally more perverted and lack "good old-fashioned moral values", but we all know that each party has about an equal share of depraved or corrupt human beings. My theory is that republicans=bigger money, therefore republicans get off easier. After all, they wouldn't want to offend any potential investors, business partners, or advertisers, would they?

 

[APTYP]

I'd go with 5. They are after the ad monies anyway, which tends to skew the whole thing into entertainment business. Personally I don't watch TV or read the newspapers for anything other than the weather forecast.

 

[welsh]

I think that's fair for a lot of people. A lot of folks are tired of crappy news, or biased news.

I also think that you're right. The news folks are interested in advertising more than a bias, and maybe that's a bad thing. Those with money can buy up the advertising, can also buy up the news.

For example, Brazil's major news, Globus, is definitely tilted towards the status quo. The lack of depth leaves such a superficial level that the rulers are left immune from criticism. But then you got someone like a Ted Turner who has liberal tendancies- thus CNN seems to be left of center.

Personally I prefer a left leaning news, although I think the best thing to do is to get the news from both sides. So I listen to NPR (left) and read the Economist (right), but both quality publications.

But I think a left leaning news is better- the press should be critical of the status quo, a private check on the government and responsive to the interests and concerns of the people. It's nice to have a powerful social force that can stand up to the Man.

 

[Paladin Solo]

Left news gives progress, even though sometimes it pisses me off. Right news gives up feelings of "Yay! We're #1" but those feelings disintegrate quick. I prefer left, but I still will watch the right too.

Lately, I've begun to watch some C-SPAN, and found them to be the one true middle-man news. I also researched that they were one, if not the one, of the first cable companies to ever come out. Did you know that C-SPAN gets a nickle for every viewer a cable company generates? Did you also know that accumaltes up to 43 million a year? Some tidbits for you, since we were talking about news and such.

 

[John Uskglass]

Meh. I read the Nation, the Atlantic Monthly and Reason religiously. I don't really care, usually I can tell the bullshit from the not.

Though, for the record, I think Fox-News is an abomination.

 

[RAKTHEUNDEAD]

Whatever the state of the news, some side is going to think, even if there is no conclusive evidence to show this, that there is a slant towards one political ideology.

I'm a far-leftist myself, but I still believe that newspapers should be objective rather than subjective.

 

[Brother None]

That poll question is stupid

And what is this? A thread on American media? *shrugs* No place for us Eurinals, ey? I mean the question "where do you think the press is leaning" is quite stupid when you realise that's different for every nation.

That said, I always watch at least 2 seperate news broadcasts and 2 seperate newspapers to make sure I don't just get biased poop.

 

[welsh]

That poll question is stupid

Well! Excuse me, Mr. Fancy pants!

And what is this? A thread on American media? *shrugs* No place for us Eurinals, ey? I mean the question "where do you think the press is leaning" is quite stupid when you realise that's different for every nation.

No actually I'd like to hear what the press is like in other places as well. In the US it seems to be right leaning, but it used to be left leaning.

But the question also asks how do you want your press to lean. If the press is leaning to the right, the problems in the US might not be unique.

That said, I always watch at least 2 seperate news broadcasts and 2 seperate newspapers to make sure I don't just get biased poop.

= geek.

 

[Murdoch]

That poll question is stupid

In the spirit of this quip, I think the thread should be retitled with a -Europeans Keep Out!-

The American media is a study of contradictions to me. Many parts of it are leftish, yet just as much is rightish. But in the final anaylsis ATPYP is right on, the almighty dollar (not Euro Kharn) drives reporting, and whoever controls the advertising can set what is covered in the news.

For instance, when was the last time you saw a story on the TV about media ownership, or ABC cover anything negative about Disney? In a perfect world we would have multiple, independently owned and operated news agencies competing to bring the most accurate and precise news to the people. They would be able to have opinions, but wouldn't be done in the guise of regular news, but in the form of overtly tilted programs like Rush Hour.

But along with campaign finance reform and viable third parties, pigs will begin flying before that happens.

 

[APTYP]

That requires revising the entire approach to news reporting. People tend to see news as a simple fact reporting, so I doubt they'll watch ten news programs to get "the full picture" - it may be seen as "redundant".

 

[Wooz]

IMO the press should be as objective and as "opinionated" as possible, as everyone is entitled to his/her point of view and should develop it in order to compare it with others, much like this board.

On topic, I'm sick of the mostly right-leaning, pro-Bush ass-kissing press we get here in Poland, of which only alternative are stupid ultra-leftist publications with no sense towards reality (Prolly one of the main reasons of my old "American-bashing" stance).

Oh yeah, we get tons of far-right almost-nazi press, including nationalist catholic journals, ultra-catholic nationalist journals, catholic journals and nationalist journals.

Not to mention the "EXTRA!!!!!!!11 PAEDOPHILE ONE TEH LOOSE!!!11, AMAZINGE SECKRETSE OF JANET JACKSONE, 101 WAYSE OF IMPROVING SECKSE!! " kind of shit people get handed at the subway stations.

 

[EyeMaster7]

I'd go with 5.

You are the only one to go with the 5%. I wonder who voted on that.

I think the media should try to be neutral when reporting the news (it's impossible but they should at least try). But when they are analysing an event they can choose a side. Anyway the media is generally is contaminated by it's sponsors.

 

[c0ldst33ltrs4u]

I'd like the press to be neutral: give me the facts, let draw my own conclusions, make my own decisions. I don't care for non-news (news about nothing, irrelevant things).
In romania the press is leaning in all directions, it all depends on who owns the newspaper... Most of them just swing around every time the leading party changes, so I consider those papers useless, not even good enough to line my trash can with them.
There are a few that call things the way they are and fight against censorship from the current left wing government, and I buy those but they come out weekly.
Oh well the elections are coming up and I hope my vote will make a difference. Time will tell.

 

[APTYP]

I'd go with 5.

You are the only one to go with the 5%. I wonder who voted on that.

So do I. Because I didn't vote.