Media elites, chafing under withering criticism from President Trump and his spokespersons, are infuriated over attacks impugning the integrity of news reporting. News execs are pitching a temper tantrum, calling the vilificaton an assault on the First Amendment guarantee of a free press.
There's nothing unusual about an adversarial relationship between the media and White House, but the current environment is toxic. Hostilities recently escalated into a fiery war of words over testy White House press briefings and the heckling of a CNN reporter at a Trump campaign rally.
Newspaper editors and television officials are framing the issue as an altruistic battle over a free and open press versus government censorship. But their real motive is less magnanimous. News organizations are trying to salvage their already tattered public standing, which has sunk to new lows.
A 2016 Pew Research study found that only 18 percent of Americans have a "a lot of trust" in national newspaper, television and radio news media. In a poll last year, Gallup reported that only 32 percent of adults have a "great deal" or "fair" amount of trust in the news media.
These are historic troughs for the news media. However, it is hardly breaking news. There has been a steady erosion in public opinion of the integrity of the news media over the last 20 years, stretching back to 1997. The downdraft did not begin with the election of Donald Trump.
In fact, an exhaustive study commissioned by the American Society of Newspapers Editors in 1998 uncovered that 78 percent of respondents agreed there is "bias" in reporting. A CBS News/New York Times poll in 2006 affirmed that only four in 10 adults believed news reports are truthful.
Those are alarming numbers for the news industry, which is suffering from dwindling newspaper readership, plummeting television viewership and tumbling radio ratings. The news business' high-stakes struggle for survival is being undermined by its flagging public image.
News officials may be outraged by the labeling of their reporting as "fake news," but they have given their detractors plenty of ammunition. There has been an epidemic of reporting that has proven to be false, misleading or deliberately biased. Examples abound across all media.
After Mr. Trump's victory, reports circulated on social media and the news that multiple transgender teenagers had committed suicide in response to his election. Even Snopes, an alleged fact-checking website, called the rumors "unconfirmed" rather than false. Turns out the news was indeed a fraud.
Later in November, the New York Magazine claimed a group of computer scientists and election lawyers were demanding a recount in three states won by Mr. Trump. The story was picked up by most media outlets. No proof was ever produced by the so-called experts and the story was pulled.
Another bombshell that exploded in the media's faces was a report that a Muslim business owner flew to Iraq to bring his sick mother to America for medical treatment. The woman supposedly died because her flight was delayed by the immigration ban. The account was a total fabrication.
Associated Press reported that the House had voted to roll back Obama rules on background checks for gun ownership a year ago. The news created hysteria on social media. Some might call the story misleading but it was downright deceitful. The House did no such thing.
For the record, the House repealed a narrow slice of the Obama era rule dealing with background checks for those with Social Security disability and adults receiving Supplemental Security Income. Even the American Association for People with Disabilities and the ACLU supported the change.
CNN has earned the title of least trusted network for egregious bogus reporting. CNN falsely reported the president removed a bust of Dr. Martin Luther King from his office. Three CNN employees resigned after the network retracted a story about a meeting between a Trump official and a Russian.
And on and on it goes. The New York Times falsely claimed on its front page that the Trump Administration had hidden a climate report. ABC demoted Brian Ross for a bungled report on Trump-Russia. The Washington Post posted a phony photo of an empty stadium for a Trump rally.
In each case, social media users amplified the lies thousands and thousands of times on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. One false story turns into a tsunami of fake news. That makes it even more incumbent on the legacy media to get its facts straight before the stories are reported as news.
There is no defense for the current spate of reckless reporting by the national media. The First Amendment is not a license for outright lying and deception. The media has an obligation to hold government accountable, but it must be credible to do its job the way the founders intended.
Journalists are the ones who can fix the credibility problem. Editors and media owners need to hold reporters accountable for truth and fairness or nothing will change. The choice is theirs. Either deal with the integrity issue or watch the news industry incinerate itself.
Showing posts with label News Media Bias. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News Media Bias. Show all posts
Monday, August 13, 2018
Monday, February 1, 2016
Media Bias: Republicans Need To Grow a Spine
America's big media cartel reacted with near unanimous outrage after Republican presidential contender Donald Trump thumbed his nose at Fox News, blaming a moderator's bias for his decision to skirt the seventh GOP candidate debate.
Whether or not you agree with the candidate's decision, Trump's political calculus was to tap into a deep vein of overwhelming media distrust. For decades, Republicans have expressed their dismay over media favoritism towards Democratic Party candidates, particularly in presidential elections.
A nationwide poll last fall by Gallup found that only 32 percent of GOP voters have a positive attitude toward the news media. On the other hand, a majority of Democrats (55 percent) view the media favorably. That chasm between the two groups is rooted in more than just prejudice.
Scientists at Cornell University developed an algorithm to sniff out bias in news reporting. Using computers, the researchers combed through thousands of stories about politics from 275 news outlets, including television, radio, web and newspaper organizations.
In the report issued last year, the scientists reported "systematic bias" and objectively quantified its existence. This was not the first time research had documented liberal media bigotry. Those on the left of the political spectrum always dismiss such research because it does not fit their narrative.
But the facts are unassailable. A 2004 study by two professors from California and Illinois reached the same conclusion about the liberal inclination of the news media. The media slant was skewed to the left of even most liberals in Congress, the research confirmed.
Among the most biased news outlets are The New York Times, Time Magazine, CBS Evening News, USA Today and NBC Nightly News, according to the exhaustive study entitled, "A Measure of Media Bias." If you are surprised by the list, then you are most likely a liberal.
There is evidence that most journalists are self-proclaimed Democrats. In fact, Democrat supporters among reporters and editors outnumber Republicans by a four to one margin. These findings were released last year by two Indiana professors of journalism.
Their conclusion was contained in a report, "Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind." They chronicled that a measly seven percent of all journalists consider themselves to be Republicans. Is there any wonder the media is in the tank for Democrats?
Those who cover Washington politics are even more likely to be Democrats. More than 90 percent of them admit to voting Democratic, the research uncovered. A large percentage even donate to the political funds of Democrat candidates for office.
A prime example of this is ABC's George Stephanopoulus, a former top operative in the Clinton White House. He interviewed Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton last year, lobbing softball questions and fawning over her innocuous answers.
It was revealed after the interview that Stephanopoulus had secretly contributed $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation without telling his ABC bosses. The pseudo journalist was forced to make a public apology for not disclosing his political connection and withdrew as a debate moderator.
Episodes like this have only heightened Americans' distrust of the media. Gallup's annual poll in 2014 found that only 40 percent of people expressed a "great deal or fair amount of confidence" in the news media. That is a historic low since Gallup began surveying opinions of the media.
Despite the tsunami of evidence, those on the political left will never be convinced. They continue to cling to their belief that media bias favors conservatives. That notion has absolutely no basis in research but facts have never seemed to matter to liberals who consider themselves open minded.
Research aside, Trump's no show at the Iowa debate may backfire. But his claim of being treated unfairly by the media resonates with many Republican voters, who are tired of GOP candidates kowtowing to journalists who routinely bash their party's standard bearers.
More Republican candidates need to stand up to a biased media, instead of heeding the advice of pundits to schmooze journalists. Expecting fair news treatment from a clearly liberal news cartel is foolhardy. Pandering to the media and hoping for a different result this time is irrational.
Whether or not you agree with the candidate's decision, Trump's political calculus was to tap into a deep vein of overwhelming media distrust. For decades, Republicans have expressed their dismay over media favoritism towards Democratic Party candidates, particularly in presidential elections.
A nationwide poll last fall by Gallup found that only 32 percent of GOP voters have a positive attitude toward the news media. On the other hand, a majority of Democrats (55 percent) view the media favorably. That chasm between the two groups is rooted in more than just prejudice.
Scientists at Cornell University developed an algorithm to sniff out bias in news reporting. Using computers, the researchers combed through thousands of stories about politics from 275 news outlets, including television, radio, web and newspaper organizations.
In the report issued last year, the scientists reported "systematic bias" and objectively quantified its existence. This was not the first time research had documented liberal media bigotry. Those on the left of the political spectrum always dismiss such research because it does not fit their narrative.
But the facts are unassailable. A 2004 study by two professors from California and Illinois reached the same conclusion about the liberal inclination of the news media. The media slant was skewed to the left of even most liberals in Congress, the research confirmed.
Among the most biased news outlets are The New York Times, Time Magazine, CBS Evening News, USA Today and NBC Nightly News, according to the exhaustive study entitled, "A Measure of Media Bias." If you are surprised by the list, then you are most likely a liberal.
There is evidence that most journalists are self-proclaimed Democrats. In fact, Democrat supporters among reporters and editors outnumber Republicans by a four to one margin. These findings were released last year by two Indiana professors of journalism.
Their conclusion was contained in a report, "Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind." They chronicled that a measly seven percent of all journalists consider themselves to be Republicans. Is there any wonder the media is in the tank for Democrats?
Those who cover Washington politics are even more likely to be Democrats. More than 90 percent of them admit to voting Democratic, the research uncovered. A large percentage even donate to the political funds of Democrat candidates for office.
A prime example of this is ABC's George Stephanopoulus, a former top operative in the Clinton White House. He interviewed Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton last year, lobbing softball questions and fawning over her innocuous answers.
It was revealed after the interview that Stephanopoulus had secretly contributed $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation without telling his ABC bosses. The pseudo journalist was forced to make a public apology for not disclosing his political connection and withdrew as a debate moderator.
Episodes like this have only heightened Americans' distrust of the media. Gallup's annual poll in 2014 found that only 40 percent of people expressed a "great deal or fair amount of confidence" in the news media. That is a historic low since Gallup began surveying opinions of the media.
Despite the tsunami of evidence, those on the political left will never be convinced. They continue to cling to their belief that media bias favors conservatives. That notion has absolutely no basis in research but facts have never seemed to matter to liberals who consider themselves open minded.
Research aside, Trump's no show at the Iowa debate may backfire. But his claim of being treated unfairly by the media resonates with many Republican voters, who are tired of GOP candidates kowtowing to journalists who routinely bash their party's standard bearers.
More Republican candidates need to stand up to a biased media, instead of heeding the advice of pundits to schmooze journalists. Expecting fair news treatment from a clearly liberal news cartel is foolhardy. Pandering to the media and hoping for a different result this time is irrational.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)