to be truly balanced and unbiased, the piece would also include a quote from the other side (in this fictional example, the perspective of law enforcement, or perhaps a bystander or another organization who has a different account of what happened)
Including the other side is what makes good news coverage. It is what I personally want to hear and it promotes an unbiased take.
Seeking out a balanced news diet is perhaps more realistic to attain. If unbiased news is impossible, then consuming a balanced news diet could be the goal for readers pursuing a non-partisan narrative or a more accurate read on today’s events and issues.
This is a clever point. To me an unbiased news source could be created, but in this era it is even harder than it was prior to the internet. If one is indeed unrealistic, then consuming a broad range of news sources is the key to seeing past filter bubbles.
Many younger, high tech people I’ve met in San Francisco believe that the Huffington Post is fairly balanced (it’s not: AllSides rates Huffington Post as far Left) while others might see Fox as “fair and balanced” (the AllSides media bias rating for Fox is Lean Right).
I think this happens because people get so lost in their own viewpoint that they don't look at how a scenario/event could be construed differently.
As a society, we need to change how communication works to address the core problem.
I personally believe this is a problem too. People are so centered around hearing what they want to hear compared to a side they don't agree with.
Search engines and social media networks do this well. They give us the perspectives we most want to see, even customizing results for each of us. The search results and news feeds you get are different than what I get.
Search engines hide this so that individuals don't realize that their searches are customized for them a lot of the time.
One of the original promises of the Internet was that by making it possible for people to connect with others across the world, we could better understand and appreciate each other despite our differences.
As he mentions later on, this way of thinking definitely didn't occur. It has increased the divide among differing opinions.
No longer do we see the other side as merely wrong, we also see them as evil.
This extremist view is prevalent to both sides. Political views I feel like have developed immensely due to social media platforms. Filter bubbles have only gotten bigger overtime.
Our relationships become more and more homogeneous, and dissenting views are either not tolerated or punished, meaning social groups often retain a uniform partisan identity.
I see this a lot on social media. People that have differing views are often "cancelled immediately" or told to "unfollow" based off their viewpoint.
In addition, the 24-hour news cycle serves more to inflame than to provide balanced news. Media bias is the norm, and both right-wing and left-wing outlets build loyal customer bases with highly partisan reporting, because people keep coming back to hear what they want to hear.
I never thought of 24 hour news like this. Since they are constantly running more people are able to take in their information and acquire a liking to them.
Note: This piece was updated Oct. 9, 2020 after an AllSides reader sent feedback about implicit bias in the "News" example. They wrote:
I think it is interesting that Julie included this bit of information submitted by the reader. It shows that she is actively listening to feedback and is open to improving the structure of the page.
News is that part of communication that keeps us informed of the changing events, issues, and characters in the world outside.
This is a key point to mention, the news is a double edged sword in this regard. As the news is so readily accessible in this day and age, it can be beneficial to hear, but it can also be damaging. I think it is a good thing to broaden news sources so that it's not coming from just a single place. Bias is a thing, and news sources love to portray information in their own lens.
“the principles and purpose of journalism are defined by something more basic: the function news plays in the lives of people.”
This sentence was valuable in in this page because it is breaking it down into simple terms. This makes it easier to understand for me personally.