Anyone claiming no bias might not be telling the truth
Merciful heavens! A reader felt compelled last week to accuse me of having a biased point of view. What? Me? Biased? I had really big news for her: Of course I write with a bias. That’s what editorial commentary is all about. Why else would the editorial pages be referred to as “opinion” pages?
Bias can be defined with various connotations but generally it is defined: “…inclination or prejudice in favor of a particular person, thing, or viewpoint.” Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we all have our biases. A proclivity toward a bias is inborn. It’s part of our DNA. We are just naturally inclined toward or against individual ideas, people, places or things.
Editorial commentary is simply one person’s opinion and opinions cannot be presented without the prejudices of the writer showing through. Unlike news reporting, editorial writers make no attempt at hiding their personal opinions. Likewise, letters-to-the-editor always illustrate the bias of those writers as well and is why they appear on the “editorial” spread.
News columns, on the other hand, are generally thought of as straight reporting of actual facts without the opinions of the writer showing through. But is this possible? Individual bias is part of our genes. We are all biased – toward family, friends, environment, favorite flavor of ice cream, various ideas, etc. It’s part of being human and anyone claiming no bias, whatsoever, might not be espousing the complete truth. All humans are biased about something (if not most everything) in life.
Most news reporters lay claim to being unbiased in their reporting and most make an honest effort to be completely so in their reporting of the news. But these folks are human and, therefore, not immune to bias. Many times the bias of some reporters is flagrant and shows prominently in their reporting. Like every other human soul, all journalists have opinions based on their personal experiences and individual philosophies.
Most reporters make a sincere attempt to avoid even the hint of personal opinion in their writing. But if you observe the work of reporters, you will eventually have little difficulty in ascertaining the biases of the author. Likewise, most news editors may try their best to be unbiased in their presentation of news pages but after a while their tendencies toward one general view or another can show through as you note their selection of news stories and their positioning in the paper.
Journalism across America today has a dramatic inclination that falls heavily on the liberal side. In fact, more than 80 percent of news personnel across the land admit to being liberal (sometimes extremely so) in their views. That is their absolute right.
Newspapers are not public institutions. They are business ventures without restraint (within legal bounds, of course) on their right to express whatever role they so choose. Although most newspapers are avid in their claim that they are totally unbiased, there is no constitutional dictate that says newspapers must be unbiased. Throughout the history of journalism in America, some newspapers have even professed bias in their mastheads: “New England Democrat,” “Kansas Republican,” “Christian Science Monitor,” ”Catholic News,” “Daily Communist,” etc. In a past era when most cities and a sizable number of towns had two newspapers (or more), one often represented a liberal leaning while the other boasted of their conservative view. That’s the American Way.
Newspapers are private enterprises and are free to openly offer whatever philosophical persona the owners choose. We have no cause to question this fact. But, as astute business people, publishers are deeply conscious of the mood of the community. Most will only go so far in crossing that boundary. It’s just good business sense.
Unlike print media, radio and television media have traditionally abided by a once mandated responsibility to remain neutral on matters of religion, morality, politics, etc. They are private enterprises just like newspapers and other print publications but the difference is that the public airways are just that – owned by the public and in exchange for the right to claim use of a radio or television frequencies, broadcast stations traditionally do not represent solely one segment of the population. But much of that has changed in recent years with the advent of talk radio. Cable channels have never been obligated to the same restrictions and many electronic outlets are quite often flagrant in their espousal of individual points of view on both sides of issues.
So, the press – just like speech – is protected by the Constitution in the Bill of Rights. And that protected speech and press bestows the right to express your biases as individuals or via various media.
So, yes I am biased in most of my views. I am, among other things, Southern born, a Baptist and a political conservative which will continue to peek through in my musings. But, I will continue to try to remain as fair as my biases allow and that’s about the best I can offer.
If editorial opinions offend, you can always turn the page. Or, express you own brand of bias in a letter to the editor, fax, or Email. Many of you do.