Wake of Echoes

Are modern-day journalists watchdogs or guard dogs? What's the difference? Watchdogs have their eye on public interests, sniffing out corruption or controversy and holding people accountable. But guard dogs protect, keeping people out, shielding preferred ideologies from closer inspection. When I was at Arizona State University, Bill Moyers visited campus to receive the Walter Cronkite School’s Excellence in Journalism Award. During a Q&A session, Moyers called on me. I asked him: “Is it possible for a conservative to have a successful career in Journalism?” Moyers shifted in his chair. I got the impression he was either uncomfortable or irritated with my question, but he quickly said “Yes. Yes, of course.” Then he started ticking names off his fingers. But here’s thing: I didn’t recognize any of the journalists he named and he never got to his fifth finger. I asked the question because I was concerned that I would find it difficult to work in the field I...

I've been suffering from migraines all week, so I need to keep today's post short and sweet. Last week , I cited studies that found that a liberal bias does exist in American mainstream media. But was that the whole story? No, of course not. First of all, there are other kinds of bias out there. Does anyone detect a corporate bias in the media? I do! I'll talk about that sometime soon. And what about accuracy? A good friend brought this up this week: various outlets may be biased to the left or the right, but which ones are the most accurate in their reporting? Good question! I hope to address that sometime soon too. But for today, since I'm hurting, I want to simply answer an argument that I came up with myself. (Now that I think about it, arguing with myself might have something to do with my migraines. Hmm.) Jennifer of last week: There's a liberal media bias. Here's the data, here are my conclusions. Ha! (Drop the mic.) Jennifer of this week: Yea...

When I was a sophomore at Arizona State University , my English teacher assigned a research paper that was a significant part of our grade. I only remember two of the requirements. First, it had to be relevant to my major (journalism). Second, I had to cite reputable, scholarly sources to back up my thesis. When I met with my teacher and told her my idea: American mainstream media demonstrates a liberal bias when reporting the news , she strongly encouraged me to choose another topic. "You won't be able to prove it," she told me. As it turned out, she was wrong. I not only earned an A on my paper, I convinced her I was right. Now, can I convince you? I'm not Biased ... YOU Are!  Let's start with those who see things from the other side of the spectrum...with what is probably the most popular stance on the issue today: cafepress.com Turn off FOX News! You've seen this bumper sticker, right? Or one like it. Most of them suggest people who wa...

When Norma Desmond famously declares “ I’m ready for my close-up ” at the end of Sunset Boulevard , she’s full-on crazy pants and headed for a padded room, which means she’ll probably never know how "those wonderful people out there in the dark" truly see her. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been labeled “crazy” during this election season (it’s attached to Trump more often, while other adjectives plague the former First Lady) but how they are truly seen by the public depends to a large extent on the “close-up” photos shared by the media. Today we are going to talk about images and how they can be used to manipulate people into viewing a political figure either positively or negatively. Say Cheese! Let’s start with photos our candidates love to share – the ones on their bio pages. For a politician, nothing says “I love this country!” more than having their photo taken in front of the stars and stripes.  Can’t you just hear the fireworks?  ...

How long has it been since you’ve read what Jesus said about hypocrisy ? You know, the speck and the log thing? Go ahead and read it now. I’ll wait. When you read it, did you picture yourself with the log in your eye, or someone else?  Because when we talk about hypocrisy or fairness or bias , I am afraid that I mostly picture myself as the victim rather than the perpetrator, all while knowing these things about myself: I make mistakes I change my mind I don’t always have all the facts I haven’t experienced everything I can be stubborn I am not always fair I am not always honest If nothing on that list applies to you, then feel free to skip this post. Next week I’ll go back to talking about THOSE OTHER GUYS who write BIASED stuff. But for today – just for today – I want to talk about MY bias. (For you , that’s your bias, by the way). I am not trying to be condescending. I know we all know we have biases. I’m only hoping that seeing it in ourselves first...