What is the difference between news an opinion? News channels have "opinion" pieces to help us understand the "news". Every news program does some of that, and they clearly state that this is opinion, not news. That is so we can understand when we are getting real information, and when we are being browbeaten by some blowhard with an agenda.The problem I have is when they try to blur the line between news and opinion. Going back to Fox News, Greta Van Susteren has a show that Fox News does not considered an opinion show. And yet, Greta may take a right wing character like Rush Limbaugh, and let him talk for 30 minutes interrupted only occasionally with a softball question. Actually, I would call those softer than softballs, more like a T-ball question. She sets it up, he hits it over the fence. That is a thinly disguised opinion show.
Look at this for a classic example of t-ball questions, where Rush gets to school Greta. Even Jay Leno had harder questions, and he's a comedian.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMgI80Oo9vQ
Here is for contrast, Greta Van Susteren's interview with representative Sheila Jackson Lee. But no teeing up the balls for Sheila to hit over the fence. Greta starts her off with "You better hurry up we don't have much time". Funny I didn't hear that with Rush. Also, Greta often interrupts, telling Sheila that her answers are too long, or she's not listening, or she is "profoundly" rude.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnsIIVhDY1s
Even if you don't know or care about the issues, you can easily pick up on the dramatic contrast in body language, tone, and attitude toward the guest. (Jackson Lee happens to be a liberal and a Democrat)
Greta calls her show "news", after comparing these two, I would be inclined to call Greta's show an opinion piece. I did not cherry pick, these are honestly the first two interviews I looked at. I only wanted one Republican guest, one Democrat and I stopped there. I must be getting lazy, my new rule is called "two strikes you're out"
Although I'm prepared to acknowledge that there is (or should be) a line between 'news' and 'opinion,' that line is becoming very fuzzy in many instances.
ReplyDeleteTake as an example a recent report about American opinion on abortion availability from The Pew Research Center.
The Pew Center itself reports, '... now Americans are evenly divided on the question, and there have been modest increases in the numbers who favor reducing abortions ... In spite of the small shift toward opposition to legal abortion, the basic contours of the debate are still intact, with most major groups lining up on the same side of the issue as they have in the past. '
The New York Times (America's leading 'newspaper of record) reports the same Pew study, '... suggests that support for abortion may have declined, with the public almost evenly divided over the issue [although that] difference [is] within the poll’s margin of sampling error.'
The Christian Science Monitor takes a similarly balanced position, reporting that, 'public opinion on the issue is now evenly divided.'
These reports suggest that Americans are 'evenly divided on this issue.'
However, here's the way FOXNews reports this study: 'In the largest shift in sentiment since pollsters began asking about the topic in 1995, support for abortion rights dropped from 54 to 47 percent in one year.'
Fox has been clarifying what it calls news and what it calls opinion. The news is that Fox News Network classifies Greta's show as opinion, although in Greta's opinion she is "news".
ReplyDeleteNot quite 'on topic' but I was too lazy to chase down the most appropriate posting on your blog to link to this report last month from the Union of Concerned Scientists ...
ReplyDelete'Is News Corp Failing Science?'
'Under [News Corp's] Global Energy Initiative, the company has publicly committed to engaging its audiences on sustainability issues and the company publicly touts climate change initiatives among its successes.'
However, UCS's analysis reveals that, 'Over a recent six-month period, 93 percent of Fox News Channel’s representations of climate science were misleading (37 out of 40 instances).'
http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/global_warming/Is-News-Corp-Failing-Science.pdf
'Consider your sources.' :-(
So Fox, in addition to blurring the line between news and opinion, is also blurring the line between science and opinion. Not to mention blurring the line between public commitment and opinion. As in, "It is their opinion that they are fair and balanced."
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