Comments on: Objectivity is unbelievable — let's give bias a try | The Lock Box http://paulbalcerak.com/2008/09/30/objectivity-is-unbelievable-%e2%80%94%c2%a0lets-give-bias-a-try-the-lock-box/ Journalist. Communicator. Social media manager. Here are the things that inspire and inform me. Tue, 15 May 2012 18:35:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Changing my stance on AP Style | The Geek Giant http://paulbalcerak.com/2008/09/30/objectivity-is-unbelievable-%e2%80%94%c2%a0lets-give-bias-a-try-the-lock-box/#comment-10 Changing my stance on AP Style | The Geek Giant Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:37:00 +0000 http://paulbalcerak.wordpress.com/?p=109#comment-10 [...] Write in first person if you feel like it. [...] [...] Write in first person if you feel like it. [...]

]]> By: paulbalcerak http://paulbalcerak.com/2008/09/30/objectivity-is-unbelievable-%e2%80%94%c2%a0lets-give-bias-a-try-the-lock-box/#comment-9 paulbalcerak Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:36:09 +0000 http://paulbalcerak.wordpress.com/?p=109#comment-9 Well I've always been kind of long winded, but that — "it doesn’t matter how biased you actually are, it only matter that the perception exists" — summed up my train of thought nicely. I agree with you on some kind of 50/50 split — the bias thing was just a way of saying that journalists need to stop hiding behind their bylines and start writing as real people. If I were starting up a news site and recruiting journalists, I'd look for as many viewpoints as possible — liberals, conservatives, anarchists, etc. It seems to me that everyone accuses the media of being biased one way or another anyway, so why not come out and admit, "Yeah, everyone's biased, but at least we're being up front about it"? Well I’ve always been kind of long winded, but that — “it doesn’t matter how biased you actually are, it only matter that the perception exists” — summed up my train of thought nicely.

I agree with you on some kind of 50/50 split — the bias thing was just a way of saying that journalists need to stop hiding behind their bylines and start writing as real people. If I were starting up a news site and recruiting journalists, I’d look for as many viewpoints as possible — liberals, conservatives, anarchists, etc. It seems to me that everyone accuses the media of being biased one way or another anyway, so why not come out and admit, “Yeah, everyone’s biased, but at least we’re being up front about it”?

]]> By: Jason Preston http://paulbalcerak.com/2008/09/30/objectivity-is-unbelievable-%e2%80%94%c2%a0lets-give-bias-a-try-the-lock-box/#comment-8 Jason Preston Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:55:03 +0000 http://paulbalcerak.wordpress.com/?p=109#comment-8 I think you're absolutely right that we need to scrap the "objectivity" myth. The one point that I think you hint at in here, which is a big hurdle for many journalists, is that <em>it doesn't matter how biased you actually are</em>, it only matter that the perception exists. I also don't think that we should aim for biased news sources - I think that we should go for something more like, say, a newsroom with 50% reporters who lean left and 50% reporters who lean right. More complex than that, obviously, but you get the idea. Incidentally, you should catch up with Todd Herman tonight at The Pitch, he heads up SpinSpotter, a local company that tracks media bias. I think you’re absolutely right that we need to scrap the “objectivity” myth.

The one point that I think you hint at in here, which is a big hurdle for many journalists, is that it doesn’t matter how biased you actually are, it only matter that the perception exists.

I also don’t think that we should aim for biased news sources – I think that we should go for something more like, say, a newsroom with 50% reporters who lean left and 50% reporters who lean right.

More complex than that, obviously, but you get the idea.

Incidentally, you should catch up with Todd Herman tonight at The Pitch, he heads up SpinSpotter, a local company that tracks media bias.

]]>