As Public Editor of The New York Times, Arthur Brisbane made some sweeping accusations in his final editorial article that was published today in the newspaper. In an article titled, "Arthur Brisbane, New York Times Public Editor: Progressivism 'Bleeds Through' the Paper" the author discusses the fact that for his last article Brisbane took the opportunity to voice his opinion on the ever changing climate of The New York Times. Brisbane feels that the paper has become rather biased on certain topics that are written about in the paper. According to him, the bias leans to the liberal side especially when it comes to supporting a cause like the Occupy movements or gay marriage. Instead of just reporting the news, Brisbane claims that the paper appears to be helping the causes. On the other hand though, Brisbane states "that editors and reports are committed to 'fairness and balance' when it comes to covering a national presidential campaign."
When looking at an article like this that is posted in The Huffington Post it is good to keep in mind the idea of bias because our society thrives on taking sides and competing in almost everything. This includes newspapers, television news, and radio news/advertising. It is all about the money, viewers, and subscribers. If following a movement like Occupy or supporting gay marriage helps to sell papers then I am not surprised that The New York Times does this. But on the other hand, is Brisbane really a reliable person to listen to when he is making such a sweeping accusation in his final column as he leaves the paper as his place of employment?
Papers may support gay marriage and occupy movements, but I agree that it is probably just for publicity. The credibility of these papers should be under constant review and question, because the authors of these articles are all humans with opinions we can not control. I believe that once the presidential elections begin the newspapers will promote the candidate that is liked in their districts to "up" the sales.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brisbane's criticism because newspapers and journalists have become to bias and have been leaning on the side that has more publicity and more hype. These newspapers and news reporting crews should not insert their own bias into their reports, but if they really want to present a type of bias, they should call in guest speakers from both sides and both presenting their ideas on the topic. For example, gay marriage, in my opinion, should not be allowed for multiple reasons of my own, and I do not want to listen or read a news that discusses why gay marriage should be allowed. I just want to know the news, and be up to date on what both sides are working on.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that newspapers can be bias to get more publicity and sell their papers. A news editor would want to be on the good side of everyone, so his newspaper would be popular and people would buy it. However, I do not agree with not having gay marriage, and that is because of my own personal reasons and many people can have different opinions. I believe gay people are people too, deserve the same rights as others, and should not be treated differently.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not read newspapers and truthfully do not look into or research world news, unless it is needed for school. I do not believe that a newspaper should be biased in any case, even regarding what a hard time newspapers are going through during these times of technological surges. A newspapers purpose is to inform the reader what happened in the world that week, and not to persuade the reader into thinking in a different way.
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ReplyDeleteI believe you are right Mrs. Kirkman, Brisbane is not at all a reliable source. His resentment towards the paper is clear, and he is obviously angry that he no longer works for the paper. Therefore, in his last article, he takes the opportunity to put it on blast; possibly making some accusations that may or may not be true about the article. In any case, as long as the readers of the paper are happy with its content then it is fine. Adding a little bias to an important news report only makes it more entertaining. Maybe if more newspaper had biased articles then more people would start reading them again.
ReplyDeleteEven if I do not read the newspaper, I can tell the newspaper is biased. It picks a side that most people would like to hear and the side with the more fame. They tell us what we want to hear when in fact they should be saying the truth and what is important.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Brisbane talks about how newspapers are all biased, he cannot be considered a credible source because he speaks out of pure anger and resentment. However, we must recognize the fact that all newspapers and written articles represent a biased point of view because they are written by people. As hard as a person may try not to take a certain side, they will never succeed because people
ReplyDeletehave opinions which are revealed by his or her tone, if not their word choice.