I don't know if Pat reads this blog, but I'll be curious about any and all opinions on a few questions:
What's the role of the media in politics?
Is the media the same thing as journalism?
If not, what's the role of journalism?
Is journalism objective?
Should it be?
Is there more or less objectivity today then in the recent past? The historical past?
Who is responsible for determining, delivering, and explaining objective facts in political debate?
How well is the public being served in this capacity?
2 comments:
Great questions, James. A similar question was raised on a blog I frequently read:
http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=2315
My comment was:
The main thing to consider is that most journalists are not in the business of delivering “truthful” or fact-based stories. They are in the business of securing eyeballs for their advertisers, and that is the selective pressure that constitutes mainstream media’s evolutionary environment. Thus the content will move towards the stories that garner the highest number of viewers. I would argue that the advent of the intertoobz has only made it easier to determine which kind of story gathers the most attention.
...I would love to see some data to back up the general feeling expressed here: namely that the majority of journalists exhibit poor adherence to principles of research and fact-based reporting.
A good thread of comments, though not quite as fun as this thread:
http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=2481
(Who would win in a fight: Wolverine, or Batman?)
If you pull up historical newspaper archives, you'll find no more objectivity in the past than today.
My shot at one of your questions:
Media is formats of information transmission.
The Media is the group of businesses and people who report news.
Journalism is a field of professional activity.
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