Quote:
Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour
I'm a liberal, but I think the media does have at least a socially liberal bias. The thing is, I think it's a reflective bias, that is, it reflects the bias of the majority of the population and the people who actuially write the news. FOX news seems to have a directive bias, in that they are directed what to say regardless of what the larger population looks like.
Economically, the media seems centrist or even rightist. Tax cuts seem to get just as much play as social spending, and tax hikes are vilified even when they're necessary and justified.
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I think that is sort of what I was trying to get at. I like the term "reflective bias".
Honestly, that is the best thing you can really hope for. I don't think "neutrality" is really even possible, except in theory. The only way to have absolute neutrality would be to have nothing at all as opinions form the messages of any media. Ideally, it is better that public opinion is forming the messages instead of private interests - even if public opinion gives the message a slant.
Even if a network purposely geared itself to an absolutely neutral standard, that could still be construed as an unfair bias in either direction.