I reached my breaking point this morning reporting white-hat news with a spin on it. I believe it was a video reporter gloating over the troubles the View has brought upon itself with its … sensationalism.
The white-hat side in journalism is still as much subject to flag-waving, talk of “dominance,” demeaning the other side, etc., as the dark-hat. And, speaking frankly, I’ve become tired of it.
Is reporting that has a spin on it or is written sensationally from the extremes reliable? Is it accurate or were events bent to support the narrative?
Our white-hat press still speaks of the dark side as if they’re abominable people who are getting what they deserve. Argumentation devolves to name-calling. It’s the Demon-rats against the Orange Man. And we’re off again on a race to the bottom.
There really is no difference between our bias and the dark side’s in that they both skew reporting. And as one who uses the information, it slows me down because, once I hear a strong bias, I grind to a halt. Thereafter, I have to estimate the reliability of each basic statement. (1)
If I had given decisions from the refugee bench that were tainted with my bias, that would be grounds for the Federal Court of Canada to throw them out. (2) Even my bias as a westerner when speaking, say, to someone from the East could be grounds for overturning a decision. (3)
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That having been said, here’s the rub. Sometimes it’s the only information we have or that is reachable when you don’t have time for deep research (on every topic that arises!). As citizen journalists, we don’t have a research department or an army of fact checkers.
Moreover, as I said elsewhere, one of the tricks in the cabal’s playbook is to (A) deny access to evidence or even the existence of evidence, except to blackmail others with it, and then (B) ask their opponents to prove their accusations … with evidence. “Where is your evidence?” [Locked in your safe.]
So, at a time like this, when even our sources are sensationally screaming, “BOOM!” and “BREAKING!” we’re still looking for evidence. And, these days, we often have to settle for what is available, with lots of caution. Or nothing at all.
I think people at large are getting tired of sensationalism. I think they want reliable, unbiased reporting. And why would they not, except for the trivializing of public discourse that the mainstream media has spearheaded for a few decades now at least.
I’m not speaking about well-reasoned, identified editorial opinion. I think you want that as well. Just not news that’s filtered through a strong slant or filter. That takes away the reader’s ability to reach their own conclusions.
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For months I’ve been asking myself what to do about it. I tried leaving “BOOM!” out of the headline, deleting paragraphs that were too biased to print, etc. But I felt guilty for such patchwork measures. I needed to address the issue.
I’ve decided that, from here on, to keep my energy from plummeting, I’m going to lift the important sections out of any article that is biased and, except in the case of articles with obvious national and international importance, simply post that excerpt (with references).
That will allow me, not to save time (although that too) but to avoid having to offer you the reporter’s bias or a slipped-in message, which has nothing to do with the news. Gaslighting is gaslighting. Our side doing it simply perpetuates the practice. I think people want the unembellished truth, except where it would send them into the dumps.
Drop me a line if you’d like to comment. If what I suggest feels too choppy to you – like a digest – or if I’m not seeing something, let me know.
Footnotes
(1) I sat on refugee claims as a Member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada from 1998 to 2006. I had two modalities: (A) As long as credibility was not in question, I listened with an open mind and accepted the story, provisonally, and (B) once credibility had been called into question, I began to question more closely and to operate by a second and different modality, emphasizing caution and circumspection thereafter, until the credibility problem had been resolved.
(2) In fact the only decision of mine that was overturned by the Federal Court was on bias.
(3) The most dramatic example of western bias for me was when an elderly Pakistani woman appeared before me with a truly heart-breaking tale. Halfway through the hearing, I was “sitting positive” and the only hesitation I had was that at no time when the woman addressed me would she look at me. I needed to know why and called for mid-hearing submissions from counsel. Was this an indication that she was lying? I asked myself.
He pointed out that the woman had been miserably treated in her homeland, including by the police, where even looking at a man could be interpreted as a challenge to male authority. And that could land you in jail, as she had been threatened with (in order to rob her of her home). There, she’d either be neglected or mistreated.
Got it. I trusted this counsel. I was at risk of imposing western standards on a person from another culture. Objection removed.