Hardly a day goes by without my receiving a complaint about "bias" on an NPR story. The dominant narrative has been that NPR is too liberal, though from time to time criticisms have flared from the left that NPR is too conservative — that it has been cowed by the right and is bending too far to please it.
The leftist view has reared in the last week. Several hundred listeners have written to complain that coverage of the ongoing Wall Street protests is insufficient. As one of those critics, James Eisenberg, mocked from New York: "Dear All Things Considered: You interviewed a guy dressed as a zombie, talking like a zombie, as the voice of Occupy Wall Street. Shame on you. I needs me a liberal radio outlet 'cause you don't get it."
Three months into the job, I haven't found any trends of actual political bias one way or the other in NPR stories. I promise to keep looking. As my colleague John Felton, a wise retired NPR editor, reminds me, bias is reflected not only in how stories are presented, but also in which ones are picked. NPR might run more stories on the environment and social concerns than, say, Fox News. This type of bias, however, is not inherently bad if the stories are themselves legitimate and fairly presented.
via www.npr.org
Perceived (or real) bias gives a news consumer something to object to. Thus, we have "objectivity."
But, seriously, I'd like a higher level debate on this endlessly circular topic. The issue at hand isn't whether reporters are blind to their inner belief systems. The question should be what rigorous, scientifically-minded *process* was used to identify and gather salient information, sort fact from fiction, and prioritize the results into a consumable story for the sake of knowledge not persuasion. If rigor is used in the reporting and editing, then you have all the defense you need from those who would charge you with bias.
Read beyond the excerpt here and see what the Stanford study found on liberals and conservatives attaching values to news logos. The stereotypes are real.
ShareThis
