All Media is biased

[Scarlet16E]

The Star-Ledger opened my eyes to this a long time ago, but let's not kid ourselves.
The journalist who keeps his or her own biases out of their stories is almost impossible to find.
The Media outlet (newspaper, TV Network, Website) that has no bias does not exist.

I don't care if it's the Star-Ledger, The New York Times, CNN, Fox, or the weekly advertiser delivered to your doorstep. All of them are biased, and those biases taint the news they deliver.

Always keep the biases of those telling you the news in mind when you receive it.

 

[zappaa]

Bias and agenda, two completely different things.

 

[krup]

I find it amazing that while people see right through media bias/motivation/incompetence in subjects they are familiar with (such as this board with RU football), many still blindly trust the output of that same media in subjects with which they are less familiar.

 

[Bagarocks]

Bias and agenda are the determining factors in all media reporting

 

[zappaa]

What agenda would the average college football writer have toward the team they cover daily?
Do you think the average fan in say College Park MD thinks the local news paper is out to subvert the program?

 

[Scarlet16E]

No.
The "normal" bias in sports reporting is to promote it.
News outlets promote local sports teams (pro and college) and that drive readership & ratings.

The S-L has taken a different approach. Their agenda appears to be to create controversy.
They are evil.

 

[zappaa]

No.
The "normal" bias in sports reporting is to promote it.
News outlets promote local sports teams (pro and college) and that drive readership & ratings.

The S-L has taken a different approach. Their agenda appears to be to create controversy.
They are evil.

Well said!

 

[RUChoppin]

Bias and agenda usually stem from motivation and incentives.

When you're looking for eyeballs, the gaudiest thing grabs the attention - so, sensationalism has become king in for-profit media. Whether that's 24-hour cable news channels or struggling local/regional papers. But newspaper sensationalism is like eating candy instead of actual meals... sugars get consumed quickly, but can't sustain you - so you may gain in the short term, but lose subscriptions in the long term.

 

[beaced]

Sign me up for the "BIAS" that SEC sports writers exhibit for the teams in their areas of coverage.

 

[SAE96]

Well said!

Completely agree with you two.

There's a big difference between reporting a story and fabricating one, where it otherwise would not exist but for the writer's base speculations and exaggerations.

 

[RUInsanity]

What agenda would the average college football writer have toward the team they cover daily?
Do you think the average fan in say College Park MD thinks the local news paper is out to subvert the program?

My guess is that the SL Agenda is one of desperation. Advanced Media (owned by the Newhouse Family with Saracuse ties) are also the owners of n j dot com. The SL is bleeding and don't know how to stop it. The Website portion of the business is likely profitable - and to maximize profit via clicks - they have created a Shock & Awe policy in regards to content that will help drive people to the site. The RU Sports Fanbase is diverse, fickle, opinionated and over-reactive....so it is a fairly easy target for Shock & Awe or Negative headlines to promote web traffic. The issue with this type of strategy is that it attracts trolls to their site and does not build a loyal or long term following among the target audience which in this case would be RU Fans.

 

[DHajekRC84]

Well said!

They figured out after driving around NJ for the last 10 years that the best way to get people to slow down and look is to create an accident or stand on the side of the road pissing on something.

 

[Doctor Worm]

Bias and agenda, two completely different things.

Exactly. Of course all media are biased. All people are biased. Most of us try to recognize our biases and control them. Some people, and news outlets, choose to be driven by their biases.

 

[JQRU91]

No.
The "normal" bias in sports reporting is to promote it.
News outlets promote local sports teams (pro and college) and that drive readership & ratings.

The S-L has taken a different approach. Their agenda appears to be to create controversy.
They are evil.

This sort of bias doesn't fly in some markets. Can't imagine a local paper in Alabama or Nebraska taking shots at their flagship schools like this. Part of the blame falls on the newspaper readers in this area that find this acceptable.

 

[derleider]

This sort of bias doesn't fly in some markets. Can't imagine a local paper in Alabama or Nebraska taking shots at their flagship schools like this. Part of the blame falls on the newspaper readers in this area that find this acceptable.

Most of it falls on Rutgers for being bad for all of these years. Alabama and Nebraska get deference becuase they have big active fan bases because they are among the all time great teams.

 

[mildone]

I find it amazing that while people see right through media bias/motivation/incompetence in subjects they are familiar with (such as this board with RU football), many still blindly trust the output of that same media in subjects with which they are less familiar.

Seems to me that many people, perhaps even most people, tend to seek confirmation more than edification. It's very hard for us to resist that tendency, IMO, so it's understandable, even if it's not ideal.

 

[JQRU91]

Most of it falls on Rutgers for being bad for all of these years. Alabama and Nebraska get deference becuase they have big active fan bases because they are among the all time great teams.

That's true, but I think the mindset in this area of the country is also just more open to muckraking than some other places. I think that it's a contributing factor.

 

[cubuffsdoug]

Bias and agenda are the determining factors in all media reporting

These days the media doesn't respect the public for having the ability to think for itself. Instead the media tells you how to think and why. The media have taken the same approach advertisers, herd the masses, do everything for them and they will respond to your wishes.