Wordcruncher

Bias Badges

I know that reporters and editors – and, by extension, newscasters and television journalists – wear accusations of bias as a badge of honor and success. This is largely because no matter what kind of coverage one runs, someone – and large groups of someones – will always, always complain.

Consequently, members of the media, and especially members of the media that cover politics, don’t measure their objectivity by which side complains. To some extent, they measure the success of their coverage by the complaints they receive. After all, it means people are watching or reading the coverage.

The standard of objectivity becomes not which side complains, but whether both sides complain.