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October 19, 2009 —
Protesters rallied against media bias at more than 100 locations across the country Friday and Saturday. In Saginaw, the local CBS affiliate, WNEM TV-5, made the news on the “day against propaganda.” Concerned citizens charge mainstream media outlets with playing ideological favorites. CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, The New York Times, Boston Globe, and The Baltimore Sun were among the news sources protested.
Nonpartisan groups such as Tea Parties, Project Can You Hear Us Now and the 9-12 Project argue that mainstream media has distorted facts or else remained silent on important issues such as corruption, the erosion of individual liberties and the expansion of government bureaucracy. They also claim the media distorts the opposition to administration policy and proposed legislation.
Partisans, political action groups and political parties make the same accusations of bias. Democrats blame FOX News and Republicans blame NPR — independents blame them both. It seems even claims of media bias are matters of perspective.
Finally, the partisans and nonpartisans can all agree on something.
Bill Dedman of MSNBC argues that journalists do their best to separate their political perspective from their reporting and that a public that believes that anyone can be completely objective is deceived.
Dedman makes a valid point: human beings can only experience reality through perspective. But perspective does not preclude the existence of objective truth. If corruption is a reality, then it affects all Americans regardless of political perspective, and diminishment of opposing political forces does nothing to change it. If there is opposition to a transformative political movement, ignoring it will not make it disappear. Recognized or not, problems and conflicts must eventually be dealt with.
The free press, as outlined in the First Amendment, has the unique power and obligation to be an effective check on the branches of government. The Founders knew that those in power cannot be relied upon to self-monitor. Nonviolent, visible protests and rejections from news consumers mean many Americans do not believe the press to be meeting its Constitutional obligations.
The protest against media bias, though admirable for its idealism, may be expecting too much if it seeks absolute objectivity. But if it takes increased attention to objectivity to win back the public trust in the free press, journalists should give the people what they want or risk being irrelevant to their customers.
The steady decline in print news industry should have been recognized as a warning sign of the public’s reaction to perceived media bias. Now, citizens openly point the finger at the mainstream media and say, “You Lie.”