Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] last days

[Stephen Montgomery-Smith <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Mike Miller wrote:
> On Wed, 6 Sep 2006, Vern Green wrote:
>
> > Some of the stories they use on Newshour to set-up the guests seem to 
> > be slanted at times. I do thing the show is more unbiased than most 
> > though.
>
>
> That's how it "seems" to you.  So what?  Why should anyone care?  To be 
> even clearer on this issue:  If a story seems biased to me, I don't 
> care. What I do care about is evidence and clear, demonstrable 
> patterns.  I also care about what other news reporters say (this is one 
> kind of evidence), especially if they can back it up with some facts.

I think you are being unfair on this issue.  Even if the facts presented 
are completely correct, the story can still show a great deal of bias. 
For example, I consider the European media's showing of dead Lebanese 
due to Israeli bombs all day long on the news T.V. to be biased 
reporting, even though the facts of the matter are completely correct. 
Bias should also be considered by how the matter is presented 
contextually.  Furthermore the tone (e.g. "experts" as opposed to 
"supposed experts") plays a very significant role.

In fact, if one believes of oneself that things like the "tone" play no 
role in how you perceive a story, you will in fact be particularly 
susceptible to this kind of bias.


--

Stephen Montgomery-Smith
EMAIL:PROTECTED
http://www.math.missouri.edu/~stephen

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