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Journalism + Balance
By Nick | January 18, 2008
An excerpt from “Journalism and Truth,” by Tom Goldstein, which I though succinctly describes the issue with trying to be balanced in reporting.
“Most journalists go to extremes to demostrate balance–even if the underlying facts clearly point in one direction. But balancing opposing statements will not necessarily yield truth, which rarely has two sides in the way, for example, that CNN’s Crossfire presented issues. In an oversimplification, this is how some journalists seeking balance work: One hundred international experts rejected the theory that exercise might cause farsightedness, but one local legislator, with a background as a truck driver, called the issue ’still disputed.’ By giving equal weight to the legislator, the reporter portrays the situation inaccurately, unwittingly suggesting that ‘journalistic balance is synonymous with accuracy.’”
Topics: Interesting |
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