Balance, Bias, and Objectivity

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Balance, Bias, and Objectivity

• News and Politics AMC1012
• Presenter Graham Cairns
• August 2005

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The MEAA View

• First, we should note that the MEAA, the
  organisation of professional journalists in
  Australia, makes NO reference to balance, bias or
  objectivity in the code of ethics.
• The closest it comes is multiple references to
  fairness a concept which, itself, is never
  defined.

3
The MEAA View

• The fairness clauses include
• 1.  Report and interpret honestly, striving for
  accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all
  essential facts.  Do not suppress relevant
  available facts, or give distorting emphasis.  Do
  your utmost to give a fair opportunity for reply.
  
• 4.  Do not allow personal interest, or any
  belief, commitment, payment, gift or benefit, to
  undermine your accuracy, fairness or
  independence.

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The MEAA View

• The fairness clauses include
• 5.  Disclose conflicts of interest that affect,
  or could be seen to affect, the accuracy,
  fairness or independence of your journalism.  Do
  not improperly use a journalistic position for
  personal gain.
• 6.  Do not allow advertising or other commercial
  considerations to undermine accuracy, fairness or
  independence.

5
The Real World View

• Only in a liberal western democracy, is it
  expected that a journalist should strive for
  objectivity, balance, and a lack of bias.
• Other countries see the medias role differently
  as an arm of the state, for the good of the
  people.
• But even if desirable, is it possible to achieve
  any of these?

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Definitions Objectivity

• Reporting that emphasizes eyewitness accounts of
  events, corroboration of facts with multiple
  sources and "balance".
• Reporting things without bias, as if one just
  came to Earth from another planet.
• A neutral point of view, not taking a stand on
  any issues on which there is some disagreement.
  Instead, journalists are simply to report what
  "both sides" of an issue tell them.

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Problems With Objectivity

• The problem with the multiple source / balance
  approach is
• 1 it assumes there are only two (or three) sides
  to an issue
• 2 it assumes that all sides are equal

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Examples Of Bias

• The Schapelle Corby Saga, as seen through the
  eyes of ABC Mediawatch http//www.abc.net.au/media
  watch/broadband/20050530_2115/STORY5hi.ram
• Fox News Network (for examples, see Robert
  Greenwalds Outfoxed www.outfoxed.org)
• Anything by Michael Moore (Video samples from
  Fahrenheit 9/11 www.michaelmoore.com)

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In the Bias of the Beholder

• Can word choice can change the slant of a story?
  ttp//www.umich.edu/newsbias/wordchoice.html
• Does fear of being biased damage journalism?
  Columbia Journalism Reviews Brent Cunningham
  believes so http//www.cjr.org/issues/2003/4/obje
  ctive-cunningham.asp

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Should we embrace Bias, then?

• Should we acknowledge our position instead rather
  than hiding our views?
• Can any human being be unbiased (and still be
  breathing?)
• Is bias a bad thing?

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Is Bias Built In?

• Some argue that bias is intrinsic to the news
  media. Examples include
• Commercial Bias
• Temporal Bias
• Visual Bias
• Bad News Bias
• Narrative Bias
• Status Quo Bias
• Fairness Bias
• Expediency Bias
• Glory bias
• Dr. Andrew R. Cline,
• Assistant Professor of Journalism,
• Missouri State University

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An Alternate Suggestion

• Objectivity called for a consistent method of
  testing information, precisely so that personal
  and cultural biases would not undermine the
  accuracy of journalistic work. Kodi Barth -
  Lecturer in Journalism, United States
  International University-Nairobi

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How Would That Work?

• The San Jose Mercury Checklist
• Is the lead sufficiently supported?
• Has someone double-checked?
• Is the background material required to understand
  the story?
• Are all the stakeholders in the story identified,
  and have representatives from the other side been
  given a chance to talk?
• Does the story pick sides or make value
  judgments?
• Will some people like this story more than they
  should?
• Is anything missing?
• Are all the quotes accurate and properly
  attributed, and do they capture what the person
  really meant?