Truth or Bias?
by Jeremiah T.


      All who hold a mind also hold opinions. Our views inevitably melt down to form us. They affect the way we process information, act, and react. We are all relatively opinionated on the issues we are informed of. If we were completely open-minded, our minds would be susceptible to the hazard that the misguided opinions of others may become our own.
      Reporters are required to give the facts and only the facts. It is imperative for them to keep personal opinions out of their coverage and allow us as the recipients of the facts to think for ourselves. Many reporters form strong opinions as they research the situation and assemble the facts, therefore, reporting with absolute objectivity is not an easy task.
      Unfortunately, many reporters are failing to do their job. They are giving us slanted information that has been twisted to support their views. Opinions belong on Rush Limbaugh and the editorial section of the paper, not on the nightly news.
      Although the mainstream media often takes sides on issues, they are usually fairly successful at masking their bias by subtly injecting it into their coverage. A key time for the media's true feelings to shine through is during a major event like the Presidential elections. Most of the media wanted a particular vice-presidential candidate to win. They wanted him to win so badly, in fact, that they were willing to say almost anything if it could potentially sway citizens to vote for their candidate.
     Because the media favors the Democratic candidate, the Republicans are the ones to complain. Both parties should protest when the media favors a side. If the media promoted Bush, who I support, I should still feel compelled to write this article on the basis that it is not right to slight the other candidate in a 'nonpartisan' broadcast. Republicans are not the only ones who feel that the media favors Gore. Democratic political specialist Carles Cook said: "When Gore took off in the polls, it seemed like a firehouse bell going off, with reporters larding their stories with their own ideological biases. It was not a pretty sight." A poll by Editor & Publisher magazine, which covers the newspaper industry, discovered "almost two-thirds of those who perceive bias feel that the candidate who has been 'favored' is: Al Gore. Surprisingly, many Democrats, along with Republicans, feel this way."
      Sometimes we don't notice just how blatantly one-sided mainstream media broadcasts are. On Wednesday, November 23, GOP vice-presidential candidate Dick Cheney suffered a slight heart-attack. Early that morning, all the major stations were giving updates on Cheney's condition, saying that the doctor's were very optimistic, and that Mr. Cheney would recover fully. They were nonpartisan, almost compassionate in their coverage. By 5:30 PM however, the atmosphere had changed. NBC's Nightly News blared with concerning headlines; Tom Brokaw told us what we may need to know about the potential Vice President and his long history of health problems.
      After the Florida Supreme Court's decision was made, one Florida county decided to stop recounting because it would be impossible to meet the Sunday deadline. This was not how one major network saw it. They reported that the recount was stopped not so much because of a deadline problem, but as a result of threatening Republican riots.
      On Monday, November 20, NBC's Jim Avila dedicated a Nightly News segment to convincing the American people that hand-counts in Florida were fair, and to criticize Bush's team for their complaints about the inconsistencies in the hand counts. He said, "Those running the recount operation say the spinners are taking isolated human error and exaggerating." Avila's argument may not be quite as cogent as he would have hoped. As an article by MRC analyst Brad Wimouth points out:

      "Accusation: Bush ballots in the Gore pile. The election judges say yes, that happened once, but observers caught the mistake.
      "Accusation: Tape and tin foil concealing Bush votes. Yes, but there's none in the counting room. The only tape found was on absentee ballots."
      Palm Beach County canvassing board chairman, Judge Charles Burton: "They get sent to people's homes. We don't know what they do with them."
      Avila: "Accusation: Chads on the floor. Rarely, but hanging chads can fall from ballots. Election officials say missing chads change nothing. And the strangest accusation: Eaten chads. The judge says he's seen none of that for a simple reason:"
      Burton: "I don't think they taste very good."
      Avila concluded: "Florida's recount, where election officials say ignore the spin and watch the less dramatic inside story."

      The November 12 edition of the Des Moines Sunday Register proclaims: "Bush Takes Gore to Court." When, in reality, Gore was the one who challenged the Florida Secretary of State's decision. The paper was also particularly keen to point out the fact that Harris, Florida Secretary of State is a Republican.
      My favorite publication for biased coverage is a national magazine called Newsweek. Some recent article titles include: "Lazio Comes on Strong. Maybe too strong." (in reference to the New York Senate debates), "Revenge of the Nerds?" (about Nader and his attempt to ruin the election for Gore), and "How Al Got His Bounce" (about Al Gore and how he was going to crush Bush in the election).
      Although the main focus of the media has been on the recent presidential hubbub, there are many other cases of media bias. Remember Elian Gonzales? Almost no one could do a story about the situation without injecting their opinions into the matter. On June 29 of this year, Bryant Gumbel of the CBS Early Show interviewed Family Research Council's Robert Knight about the Gay Boy Scout issue. Only the first two questions that Gumbel asked were not maliciously pointed. A sense of burning hatred was sent out to viewers when Mr. Gumbel evidently was not aware the cameras were rolling. After the Knight interview, an accidental camera shot was taken where the nation saw Gumbel give his opinion of Mr. Knight, calling him a -blank-ing idiot.
      The truth is out there. You just may have to dig hard to find it. The most effective way to combat the deceptiveness of the media is to search for another side to the story. You will almost always find there is one. The next time Peter Jennings or Dan Rather reports that chopping trees is evil, while an environmentalist tells you that we are killing the spirits of the trees, check it out. Trees are used to build homes for the homeless, make paper for schoolchildren, and lumber companies replant new trees after they chop them down. When you hear that the American people think Bush is not ready for the job of President, check it out. Which people support Gore? There's Cher and Tommy Lee Jones. Who supports Bush? General Norman Schwartzkopf and General Colin Powell are just two of many. Much of the media is not in favor of truth, but rather, thirsty for facts that can be twisted to push their views on the open-minded.