I’d like to find a news source that will give me the facts, whatever they may be. I’m not interested in hearing opinions, speculation and what-ifs, or sound bites taken out of context. I’m looking for facts.
I’m on an impossible quest. There is no such thing as a truly non-biased news source. All media outlets pander to their audience. Some media outlets are more truthful than others but they all have a bias.
I’m about to explain why.
But first, I want to clarify something. What I’m going to say applies to all media outlets. It applies to print, online, TV, podcasts and radio. It applies to Conservative, Liberal and Progressive media.
Media outlets are businesses. And, media outlets, like any other business, need money to keep the doors open. Regardless of their politics, beliefs or intentions, they can’t pay bills with their principles. At the end of the day, if they don’t have the money to pay rent, salaries, bonuses, taxes, insurance and a host of other expenses, they’re not going to stay in business.
There are several different ways that media outlets can obtain that money. They can charge for a subscription, charge for advertising or take donations. But here’s something to keep in mind: To have subscription revenue, they need subscribers. To have advertising revenue, they need advertisers. To receive donations, they need donors. The more subscribers, advertisers or donors they have, the better off they’ll be.
Most people aren’t interested in hearing the truth. What most people want to hear is more of what they already believe. Look at Facebook for about 30 minutes and you’ll see what I mean. People flock to posts that support their own preexisting beliefs and mostly ignore the ones that don’t.
So, to increase revenues, all media outlets, no matter how good their intentions start out, will eventually adjust their content to better align with what their subscribers, advertisers and donors believe, and want to hear.
If a media outlet is truly non-biased, they will present facts that tell the whole story.
For example, last night, at the Democratic National Convention, a speech was given by Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. She was standing in front of “Black Lives Matter Plaza” and said, “It was here that just weeks ago, Americans donned face masks, and safely and peacefully protested the death of George Floyd.”
A truly non-biased media outlet would also be compelled to mention that there was nothing safe and peaceful about the protest. A non-biased media outlet would also tell you that many protesters weren’t wearing masks or “social distancing” and that nearly 150 police officers were injured during the month of May by those “peaceful protesters”.
A non-biased media outlet would work to keep her, and politicians like her, from being purposefully dishonest. While she will likely be quoted correctly, most media outlets will not report on her omission of key relevant facts. Some will, but most won’t.
How do you tell if a media outlet is biased? That’s easy.
With the United States split nearly equally between conservative and liberal points of view, a non-biased media outlet will be an “equal opportunity offender”. That is, about half of what you read you’ll agree with and the other half will piss you off. If you find that you agree or disagree with what you read/hear more than half of the time, you’re being influenced and manipulated by the media.
I’ll leave you with some homework and ask that you carefully consider the news sources you use today. Are they truly non-biased? Or, are they using their platform to manipulate you and further advance an agenda?
