A friend commented on my post, “Fair and Balanced” News?, the other day, and pointed out that I should check into what is called, “narrative bias.” So I did just that, and here are two quotes from one of the articles I read on the subject:
Narrative bias: The news media cover the news in terms of “stories” that must have a beginning, middle, and end–in other words, a plot with antagonists and protagonists. Much of what happens in our world, however, is ambiguous. The news media apply a narrative structure to ambiguous events suggesting that these events are easily understood and have clear cause-and-effect relationships. Good storytelling requires drama, and so this bias often leads journalists to add, or seek out, drama for the sake of drama. Controversy creates drama. Journalists often seek out the opinions of competing experts or officials in order to present conflict between two sides of an issue (sometimes referred to as the authority-disorder bias). Lastly, narrative bias leads many journalists to create, and then hang on to, master narratives–set story lines with set characters who act in set ways. Once a master narrative has been set, it is very difficult to get journalists to see that their narrative is simply one way, and not necessarily the correct or best way, of viewing people and events.
and…
Journalists, too, speak from political positions but usually not overtly so. The journalistic ethics of objectivity and fairness are strong influences on the profession. But journalistic objectivity is not the pristine objectivity of philosophy. Instead, a journalist attempts to be objective by two methods: 1) fairness to those concerned with the news and 2) a professional process of information gathering that seeks fairness, completeness, and accuracy. As we all know, the ethical heights journalists set for themselves are not always reached. But, all in all, like politics, it is an honorable profession practiced, for the most part, by people trying to do the right thing.(The Rhetorica Network)
“Honorable profession practiced:” “Politics,” since when?! Again, I understand that journalists are human and can’t totally separate themselves from their own views on life. I also, as I said before, am aware of the fact that journalism is a business and therefore, needs to be concerned with “the bottom line.” What troubles me though, is this “narrative bias” and other such business or corporate manipulations. I guess what I’m trying to communicate here, in my own biased way, is I don’t care much for the ways and means of business, in particular, when it comes to a business, such as journalism, which provides needed information to the public: if an “ambiguous” news story must have a “beginning, middle and end,” so the journalists and their corporations can extend it and make a bigger buck, then the “middle” and “end” of this news item, in my estimation, are nothing more than pure fabrication.
Doing business this way, or as the hucksters put it, “It’s not personal, it’s business,” may be fine for the car and insurance salesman, but it’s a travesty for journalists, because they are responsible for providing accurate information to those whose political decisions will be based on the information given. What’s important to us, as a society: Capitalism, “the bottom line” or honesty and integrity? I may be naive, but if we can use phrases, such as “narrative bias” and “the bottom line,” to rationalize our dishonesty and lack of integrity, then maybe we shouldn’t complain when we’re affected-negatively-by the press and our government. As a wise man said, many years ago, ”In this country, we don’t always get what we want, but we almost always get what we deserve!”
Tags: bias, broadcast journalism, corporations, government, greed, honesty, journalism, news, politics