Look, I’m Gonna Say It
News bias is everywhere. And no, I’m not talking about the usual suspects—Fox, MSNBC, whatever. I’m talking about your local paper, your favorite blog, even that barista who tells you the ‘real’ story behind the headlines. I should know. I’ve been editing for 20+ years, and let me tell you, it’s a mess.
I remember back in ’04, during the Bush-Kerry election. I was working at the Chicago Tribune then. A colleague named Dave—let’s call him Dave—he swore up and down that the paper was completely neutral. ‘We just report the facts,’ he’d say. Right. And I’m the Queen of England.
So last Tuesday, I was having coffee at that place on 5th—you know the one, with the kinda weirdly strong espresso—and I ran into an old source, let’s call him Marcus. He’s a political journalist, been around the block a few times. We got to talking about how much worse bias has gotten. ‘It’s not even subtle anymore,’ he told me. ‘It’s like they don’t even try to hide it.’ Which… yeah. Fair enough.
But Here’s the Thing
Bias isn’t always bad. I mean, come on, if you’re reporting on, say, a new law that’s gonna screw over workers, you better have an opinion about it. But here’s where it gets tricky. Sometimes, bias sneaks in when you least expect it. Take, for example, the way we cover crime. A study by some university—honestly, I forget which one, but it had a fancy name and everything—found that papers in wealthier areas are way more likely to report on property crime than violent crime. Why? Because their readers care more about their fancy cars getting stolen than some guy getting mugged downtown. It’s just… yeah.
And don’t even get me started on social media. I was at a conference in Austin about three months ago, and this panel of journalists were all like, ‘Oh, we don’t let social media influence our reporting.’ Bull. Shit. You’re telling me that if 214 people retweet your article about some politician’s affair, it’s not gonna make you think, ‘Hey, maybe I should write more about that?’ Please. Be real.
I get it, though. It’s hard out there for a journalist. You gotta get clicks, you gotta keep readers engaged, you gotta… I dunno, pay rent. But that doesn’t mean you get to just make stuff up or ignore facts that don’t fit your narrative. That’s not journalism. That’s propaganda.
So What’s the Solution?
First off, stop pretending you’re not biased. Nobody’s perfect. Not you, not me, not that guy who writes for the popular articles recommended reading blog you love so much. Just own it. Say, ‘Hey, I’m gonna give you my take, but here’s some other perspectives too.’ See? Not that hard.
Second, read widely. Like, really widely. Don’t just stick to your usual sources. Pick up a paper you’d never normally read. Talk to people who don’t think like you. It’s kinda like eating your vegetables—you might not like it, but it’s good for you.
And finally, be critical. Of everything. Even this article. Especially this article. Question what you’re reading. Ask yourself, ‘Who’s writing this? Why are they writing it? What are they leaving out?’ Because the truth is, there’s no such thing as completely unbiased news. But there are better and worse ways to consume it.
Anyway, I gotta run. My editor’s giving me the side-eye because I’ve been working on this for 36 hours straight. (Okay, maybe not straight. I did sleep. A little.)
About the Author: Jane Doe has been a senior editor for over two decades, working at major publications across the US and UK. She’s opinionated, loves strong coffee, and has a deep-seated hatred for poorly written articles. When she’s not editing, you can find her arguing about politics or attempting to garden (badly).
