Transcript medium

Media Bias…
Some helpful info for 29/03
debate
- Assumptions
• journalism can/should be impartial
• Fox’s product branding motto “Fair and
Balanced” is the proper standard against which
to judge Fox news coverage
• focus on Fox as a propaganda machine
vs. primarily a commercial venture
• consumption of Fox news significantly
contributes to shaping political views of
viewing public
Is the Media/a Media Outlet
Biased?
• the conundrums of bias
– impartiality vs. objectivity
• impartiality (def: showing lack of favouritism –
e.g. portraying diverse perceptions of the truth)
• objectivity (def: based on observable phenomena
– e.g. striving for “the truth”)
– the problem with impartiality as a criteria for
news coverage
» what views to include?
» balance of viewpoints may be biased
» mainstream viewpoint may be biased
Is the Media/a Media Outlet
Biased?
• the conundrums of bias
– impartiality vs. objectivity
– the problem with objectivity as a criteria for
news coverage
– based on contestable assumption that facts can be
cleanly separated from one’s subjective viewpoint
– based on assumption that meaningful facts exist in a
complex world and that news coverage could be free
of interpretation – “Just the facts, ma’am...”
– cedes significant power to journalists/news media in
determining the truth
Assumptions
• journalism can/should be impartial
• Fox’s product branding motto “Fair and Balanced” is the
proper standard against which to judge Fox news coverage
– counter-argument – all media coverage is biased
– bias may be more or less consistent with mainstream of public
opinion
– bias may be more or less overt
• those who charge Fox with being biased (don’t agree with
its political slant or argue that it does not mirror mainstream
political views) are using the same criteria for judging bias
as the Fox News claim that it is “fair and balanced”
Fair and Balanced?
• Fox News is poorly geared towards
propagandization
• bias is overt
– people recognize that Fox represents a particular point
of view
– journalists double as editorialists
» less problematic than alernatives (no self-identified editorial
commentary)
• unsophisticated manipulation of news
– emphasis on political conflict vs. ignoring political
conflict
Mechanisms of Media Bias
• distorted view of public events
• what is there is biased
• distorted view by leaving issues out
• bias lies in what is not there
• more sophisticated technique of media
manipulation
-- Assumptions
• journalism can/should be impartial
• focus on Fox as a propaganda machine
vs. primarily a commercial venture
– counter-arguments...
• FOX is a poor instrument of propaganda
• FOX is primarily a commercial venture
Fox as a Commercial Venture
• product lacking any journalistic value
• lowered costs, higher profits
• focus on product differentiation
• creation of niche market
• “fair and balanced” as branding technique
• infotainment
• focus on sensationalism
– politics – focus on conflict
An Alternative Interpretation...
• profitability is key
– importance of audience to profitability
• media is biased
– media must cater to the view of its target
audience
– it mirrors (rather than shapes public opinion)
• media concentration
– perhaps not evidence that media can shape
public views
– may be evidence that media cannot shape
public views
Regulating the Media
• FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
• existing FCC regulations on media ownership
• ban on cross-ownership
• restrictions on total number of stations/percentage of
market
– rule changes (June 2003)
• revision on cross-ownership
• revised rules on number of stations (in given market)
• increased in overall allowable % of market (from 35%
to 45%)
Regulating the Media
• FCC rule changes
– proponents
• large newspaper chains and television networks
(e.g. Fox)
• the White House
– opponents
• various organizations
– NRA, National Organization for Women, Conference of
Catholic Bishops, etc.
– owners of local television stations
• resistance in the House
– Assumptions & CounterArguments
• journalism can/should be impartial
– Fox is less mainstream and more overtly biased than other
media outlets – it is no less or more biased
• focus on Fox as a propaganda machine vs. primarily a
commercial venture
– Fox is not a sophisticated propaganda machine
– revolutionary attribute is in becoming a purely commercial
venture (stripping serious journalism out of its coverage)
• consumption of Fox news significantly contributes to
shaping political views of viewing public
– Fox mirrors the views of its viewing public
An Alternative Interpretation of
Media Bias
• content bias
– commercialism
• de-emphasizing journalism -- emphasis on
sensationalism
– politics – emphasis on conflict
– shared by all mainstream commercial media
» explains difference between FOX and NPR in PIPA
knowledge surveys
• consumerism/commodity fetishism
An Alternative Interpretation of
Media Bias
• medium bias
– the medium is the message (McLuhan)
• television
» creates passivity (not interactive)
» atomizing
– reduces political efficacy
– creates perception that watching politics is the same as
being involved in genuine political activity (and acts
as a substitute)
– weakens sense of community and emphasizes
individualism
Main Points!
• bias of the media may lie not in the
content of specific outlets (e.g. Fox
News) but in the broader commercial
structure of the media in general
• bias of the media may lie in the dominant
form of media consumed (e.g. television)
CU on 29/03/08 debate;-)
In the meantime- Happy Easter
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