I'm Not Biased... See

There seems to be a reactionary trend in journalism lately. As increasingly bitter partisanship continues to become the norm in politics, the focus on the level of bias in the media is at an all-time high. Afraid of being branded as biased, it feels like many journalists are trying harder than ever to look at both sides of the issue. This is a good thing, right? Rather than getting overly simplistic, prejudiced accounts of an issue, we are presented with both sides—allowing us to make our own decisions. This is a sign that media is doing its job, right? Rather than partisan hackery, the media is doing its job to shed light on issues.

But I do not think this has been a positive development. Journalists have reacted by forcing both sides into their analysis out of fear of being branded liberal or conservative. And fear does not lead to good, honest journalism. First of all, the increasing partisanship in American politics is being mirrored in the media. Too frequently, we are presented with both sides of an issue rather than two sides of an issue. There is a distinct difference. Almost every existing issue has more than two sides. By forcing their articles to present the liberal and conservative view of an issue, many journalists are ignoring the nuanced complexities of a multifaceted subject. While a two party system may be an unavoidable consequence of our political structure, it does not mean that the media must follow suit. The media is supposed to be the fourth estate—an independent entity responsible for checking government power by holding up a metaphorical magnifying glass to the government. The media should be disseminating these smaller, lesser-known opinions, not disregarding them in order to put up a bipartisan façade.

Additionally, there is not always a need to lend equal credence to the other side of an issue simply because not all opinions are created equal. It is not necessary to spend equal time discussing the arguments of a few scientists who claim climate change is a ruse when millions more have scientifically proven it. Certain things are just facts. If I were to drop a baseball and someone argued that it would fall up instead of down, there would be little need to discuss the merits of his argument. As Daniel Patrick Moynihan so perfectly articulated, “everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

Now, this is not to say that we should suppress minority opinion. Just because more people believe one thing does not make them right. However, this compulsive need to elevate arguments that are shaky at best to an equal level as strong, factually informed opinions under the banner of impartiality is dangerous. To give more time to an argument than one normally would in order to create the illusion of objectivity actually biases one’s analysis. We often hear about the decline of journalism. We hear it blasted for being biased, for being corrupt, for being sensationalist. But this critique is often obscured. Just as it is dangerous when a journalist does not write his true opinion out of fear, it is dangerous when journalists write in this manner out of fear.