[BC] equal time controversy

[Barry Mishkind]

At 11:34 AM 6/5/2012, Dale Adkins wrote:
>The frustration I have with the "news" media including broadcast news, is that those who do the writing, assignments and reporting do so according to their own bias and in many cases they do not even realize it.  A liberal-biased reported and a conservative-biased reporter each see the same story and report it from a different viewpoint.

        A "reporter" should see the story as it is.
        Unfortunately, usually you can tell which side the
        reporters are on rather quickly - their "side"
        is usually delineated by the phrase: 
        "but critics say ... "  Amazingly, that phrase
        pops up in the most non-controversial - or 
        you would think non-controversial - stories.

>Example:   The county is trying to pass a 2-cent increase in a sales tax because officials say they need the money for the sheriff's department.

        "Officials" almost always say they need more money.  It is in their DNA.

>    Reporter #1 reports that the new tax would *provide* the county with six million additional dollars.
>
>    Reporter #2 reports that the new tax would *cost* the taxpayers an additional six million dollars.
>
>The first reporter is looking at the story from the standpoint of county officials who want the money.
>The second reporter is looking a the story from the standpoint of the taxpayin citizen.
>
>In most cases Reporter #2 doesn't exist.

        That is true.  Most broadcasters are now working
        hard to get their piece of the ad pie for the
        election season. They don't want to alienate
        their political friends. Hence little effort is
        made on balance.

        But as someone mentioned, most listeners are
        only interested in hearing their opinion repeated.
        over and over.

        and out