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Last night, I was accused by someone who has never met me of being too "feature-y" to be a city editor. To be polite, I didn't laugh, but I could have.
Me. Who has subscribed to two daily newspapers and Newsweek since college. Who watches only CNN, movies and sports on TV. Who covered the Michigan State Senate for four years to the point where the majority leader had to ask me what procedural maneuver was just pulled.
Feature-y. Couldn't be further from the truth. The reason my blog, until now, has been light is because I believe an editor should avoid stating opinions about current events, lest people detect bias. Surprise, all editors are biased because, for the most part, we all have brains that are SUPPOSED to winnow through incoming information and arrive at a conclusion logical to that brain. Now, some brains are more logical than others, but that's another topic.
So, I guess I'll stick my neck out a tad and express my well-informed opinions.
Take tonight. On CNN tonight, they did a piece on N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer's decision to allow illegal immigrants to obtain legal driver's licenses. My mouth was hanging open. Talk about legitimitizing illegal behavior! And this from a former prosecutor. Selective enforcement and adherence to law. NEVER would have thought that from a prosecutor. (Hang in there, readers, I'm being sarcastic.)
Imagine my horror with CNN helpfully included in text that 8 states aloow illegals to get legal IDs and my home state of Michigan was one of them. Good God.
A commentator was going on that the government, at all levels, MUST adhere to ALL laws. Hello, federal government, and now state governments, residing in this country without permission from the government is ILLEGAL. Selective enforcement will lead to anarchy.
Another phrase uttered by the commentator really caught my attention. This issue could lead to civil war. Yes, I do believe it could. That's a most frightening thought.
What do you think?
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I don't mind editorializing and personal opinions of the writers when it clearly is printed as that such as commentaries and editors pages. These may often be biased but readers recognize that. I draw the line at editorializing overtly or covertly in news items. News articles should be as near the unbiased truth as the writer can make them. Just the facts please.
As for illegal immigrants, it is apparent that the federal leaders are not able to cope with a resolution. It will be up to each state to deal with the problem which will be a hodgepodge of solutions, but then there may evolve some consensus eventually. Eventually, the state's solutions may lead to a national consensus. Meanwhile, I'm not holding my breath.
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don't let the ba$tards get you down . ..
In all seriousness I kind of chuckled at "all editors are biased because, for the most part, we all have brains that are SUPPOSED to winnow through incoming information and arrive at a conclusion logical to that brain" comment - since - well, you all seem to come to the SAME conclusion about controversial events. Most times, that conclusion is in opposition to that of the majority of hte population, yet, YOU control what becomes news, thereby, showing your bias, and also HOW it becomes news.
If I were a a religion reporter who was Christian, what Ann Coulter said about Jews was 100% correct - Christians believe that God wants the Jews to see Jesus for whom he was; the Messiah. As a liberal New York Times Jew who happens to be a reporter, you would find what she said biased and perhaps racist = and would spin the article a certain way, highlighting how other, more liberal and likely also Jewish members of the east coast or NYC media saw the remarks. The basis upon which she made the statement gets lost in the outrage over something you likely do not understand, i.e., the personal relationsship with Christ. The same fact or event can be reported in several different ways and thats where the bias is shown - not in the choice to report the fact, but the spin the report is given.
I see that most editors and reporters are not conservative. I find it fascinating how they become not conservative as they move through a career. How can people who are looking for truth and cogent analysis all become liberal? They don't - they start out that way. In most major media centers in the nation the reporters and editors are liberal. They support feel good liberal causes and want to be seen on the soft and kinder side of issues. That is an emotional reaction, not an intellectual one. It simply cannot be denied.
That being said, reporters work hard to get all the facts but they bring their bias to how they write; and the editors bring the bias to not only what they tell the reporters to cover, but also when they cover it and where it appears in the paper. One cannot stop human nature in the performance of human functions like work which contains professional elements of judgment and creativity.
As for worrying about bias - just because you are an editor does not deprive you of your right to an opinion. I think you are correct in being circumspect in expressing your opinion on controversial issues to retain the ability to report on them. People who have the ability to control the reporting or coverage of events, or can shape them, perhaps have more responsibility to not express an opinion. Of course, elected officials SHOULD express their opinions more, rather than opinions that are carefully crafted and no more represent what they believe than Bill Clinton did not have you know what with you know who.
One of the ways to show bias by the media including TV news is the headline. It may be a true statement, but the phrasing of a headline is a matter of choice.
For instance, the southern states have about 25 percent of the population that are obese. The headline for an article could read "Twenty five per cent of the population in the southern states is obese." (OK, it is a long headline.) Because of the way it is written, it gives the impression that a lot of the people in the southeast are obese. If the headline had been written, "Seventy five per cent of the population in the southeastern states are not obese." This is also a true statement, but gives the impression that most of the population is not obese.
It is a glass half full or half empty situation, but I see headlines many times in the national news on TV and on the internet news programs like CNN. They will show bias by choosing a headline to favor their editorial policy and then choose one that has a negative slant on topics or politicians they don't favor.
My sister in law was a PHD professor of Journalism at UNC-Raleigh. Her gripes when we had family get togethers was the occasional bias in the headlines. Even though she is a Democrat, she cringed when the headlines were biased against Bush. She was concerned more about journalistic professionalism than politics.
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There should always be a tete a tete in the editorial staff with regard to articles...those at the top should never have similar views on the world...there should be balance to help unbias the output. Sure, there would be work place drama...but the resulting paper/article/news would be neutral.
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I cannot believe that illegals are getting legal ID's. Is this stuff just happening before anybody knows what's going on? Hello! Where are the Feds of Homeland Security? Don't think that's in the best interest of the Average Joe American citizen. Please list the states.
Illegal immigration could lead to civil war
I don't know about civil war, but believe the debates will move from the blogs to the streets in my lifetime. Some of the people here illegally are so entrenched here that I believe they would literally fight to stay here. Others probably are wanted for crimes in their country of origin and won't go back, again without a fight. The longer we fail to enforce our immigration laws and continue to make it easier for illegal immigration to flourish.........the more difficult it will be to send illegals home. Amnesty is no longer an option. We have to eradicate the magnets that bring them here.........jobs, citizenship of newborn, language concessions and welfare, to say nothing of drivers licenses. And if nothing else......penalize everyone who employees them and get rid of Lindsey Graham.
journalists so defensive? Or is it just naivete? So you were criticized by someone who has never met you. So what? You have chosen to be in the world of high profile. Your name is on your columns. Your picture is on your blog. Duh! How in the world would you think you are exempt from criticism. When one creates such a public profile and publicly attaches themselves to it, disagreements, criticism, humbling experiences etc come with it. Welcome to the world of so many of those that journalists cover.
Another phrase uttered by the commentator really caught my attention. This issue could lead to civil war. Yes, I do believe it could. That's a most frightening thought.
What do you think?
I don't believe civil war will come from this but any politician that supports this is gonna be "fed to the dogs" in the next election. Bush has a bad rating not from Iraq as the left wants poeople to believe, Its his slushy stand on illegal immigration. Congress, the same.