Right up front, I admit my bias. Many know this already but in the interest of integrity I admit to values consistent with limited gov't, personal responsibility, freedom for all, handouts for none, much of the Libertarian party platform, and the Bible. Ok. Your turn.
Some people will stop reading now because they take exception to my bias and values. No problem. Freedom means not reading what doesn't suit you. The real issue here is that too many people won't own up to the FACT that they have biases at all. If you prefer chocolate over vanilla ice cream, you have a bias. If you prefer higher taxes for some or all, that is a bias too. If you believe that the gov't is more trustworthy than business then you have a bias. If you believe that Wall street caused the financial crisis then you have a bias. If you don't agree then PLEASE stop reading. We have a factual disconnect that cannot be overcome.
The fact is that every time we have a disagreement it is based on our biases. Some are trivial as in flavors of ice cream. Others not so much. If you are one who will not own up to your own biases then you are also likely to believe that others in our society are equally objective and unbiased. If this is you, please stop reading now. We have a factual disconnect that cannot be overcome.
As with most forms of knowledge we learn or understand based on contrasts. We understand warmth in contrast to cold, dark in contrast to light. The same is true for biases. I become more aware of my biases in contrast to others who do not hold my biases. Hopefully, this is done respectfully but we all know that some people have a bias to be more aggressive in spreading theirs. The reverse is equally true. If I immerse myself with only those of like mind and like bias I may not notice my bias or those of my companions.
We like to think that scientists can be objective. They are not supposed to care about the outcome. The scientific method includes posing a hypothesis then gathering data and testing the hypothesis. However, since, to date, all scientists have been found to be human beings, scientists still approach their research with bias.
Journalism schools try to teach their students to be objective and not to inject themselves into a story. While I agree that this is a noble ambition, as long as journalists remain human beings the goal of objectivity is absolutely unreachable.
"There are lies, damn lies, and statistics" - Mark Twain. Numbers are used by both sides of a bias to predict the future impact of today's decisions. But the fact is that more is believed based on predictive statistics than ever comes to pass. Statistics rarely prove anything and often both sides of a bias can be argued based on the selective use of statistics. Let it go. Arguing on the basis of statistics is a waste of breath.
To bring this home, I have stated my biases at the top of this blog. When I consume news from sources like the NYT, CNN, MSNBC, and the Huffington Post I am aware by contrast of both my bias and theirs. Likewise, those with biases consistent with the platform of the Democratic party may not be faced with this contrast with these sources. However, this group will find great bias in sources like Fox News, The Washington Times, the Drudge Report, etc because of the contrast to their own biases. This is not right or wrong. It is a matter of the fact of the human condition.
The hypocrisy comes when one claims that one outlet of science or news or law is objective, without bias, while others are not. Fox News is not more or less biased than CNN or the NYT. However, there are many who find comfort in the biases of CNN and the NYT and will believe that they are without bias. This is absurd.
Bottomline: ALL news outlets are biased. Stop here if you can't swallow that. News outlets are no different than politicians. All politicians lie. All news outlets present words and events in the context of their biases. The methods are not always clear. It is hard to lie about th exact words someone has said. However, it is possible in our digital world to slice the full sentence or paragraphs of anyone's speech to characterize their meaning according to what the news outlet chooses. Furthermore, which stories a news outlet chooses to report also contains bias. FoxNews will choose which stories to report and how to report them consistent with their bias as will CNN, the NYT, etc.
It is a waste of everyone's time to report about the bias in the media as if it were news. It's not. There is no difference in the behavior of the news outlets except in their biases. While I enjoy reading FactCheck.org I am not naive enough to believe that they are without bias. Everyone would be wiser if we questioned everyone's biases before paying attention to what they say.
No one is objective. No not one. None.
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