Fair and balanced

[mummymonkey]

Hope I'm not infringing anybody's copyright there;)
I was wondering if it was possible for a news outlet to truly be impartial and if it was preferable to just be biased but open about it?

[arcticpenguin]

I get annoyed when a news medium tries to be too fair and balanced. For example: Evolution vs. (un)Intelligent Design. They shouldn't attempt to treat both sides with equal respect, because ID doesn't deserve any. It's like giving a 'fair and balanced' report on round earth vs. flat earth. In cases like these, if it's balanced, it's not fair.

[chulbert]

It's not possible, even in principle, because the act of choosing a story to report is a value judgement.

[mummymonkey]

So any news outlet or broadcaster that purports to be impartial, such as the BBC, is being dishonest?

[Lemastre]

Originally posted by mummymonkey
So any news outlet or broadcaster that purports to be impartial, such as the BBC, is being dishonest? Many if not most try to report fairly. None is entirely successful. Some, however, don't even try. Their bias permeates their approach to the news and informs their editorial commentary. Fox news lets its pro-administration stance show through, which I assume is why it is so sensitive to Al Franken's book. In years past, when newspapers were often blatantly biased, they got by with attaching various claims of impartiality to their titles. Apparently, nobody attached much significance to these slogans. In today's market, however, any news purveyor that flaunts a claim of being "fair and balanced" should be immediately suspect.