What are the most even-handed, unbiased news sources?

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Fox news is pretty unbiased. A lot less biased than CNN. Proof is in the viewership. More than CNN and MSNBC put together.

They are the only network that provides alternate takes on a story. You'd NEVER see CNN allowing something like that.

Actually, Fox gets a lot of viewership because they're the only major news outlet the swings right.

Fox news is no more right than CNN is left.

Now that is weird.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Fox news is pretty unbiased. A lot less biased than CNN. Proof is in the viewership. More than CNN and MSNBC put together.

They are the only network that provides alternate takes on a story. You'd NEVER see CNN allowing something like that.

Actually, Fox gets a lot of viewership because they're the only major news outlet the swings right.

Fox news is no more right than CNN is left.

Regardless of where you think CNN falls compared to center - there is just no denying that Fox leans very right, which is why they have strong viewership - no competition. Hell, anyone that understands supply and demand could tell you that one.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Fox news is pretty unbiased. A lot less biased than CNN. Proof is in the viewership. More than CNN and MSNBC put together.

They are the only network that provides alternate takes on a story. You'd NEVER see CNN allowing something like that.

Actually, Fox gets a lot of viewership because they're the only major news outlet the swings right.

Fox news is no more right than CNN is left.

Regardless of where you think CNN falls compared to center - there is just no denying that Fox leans very right, which is why they have strong viewership - no competition. Hell, anyone that understands supply and demand could tell you that one.

So you agree the other news outlets lean left then.

 

[Deeko]

Absolutely, I never said otherwise - in fact, I explicitly said it in my first post. in the thread. Of course MSNBC is way out in left field. CNN is much closer to center - in my opinion, closer to the center than Fox - but still left.

 

[Fern]

What are the most even-handed, unbiased news sources?

I don't think there is any such thing.

I don't believe there has ever been any such thing.

If you the have the interest to pursue journalism as a career you certainly have enough interest to have formed opinions. Once you've formed opinion you have bias, no matter how many denials.

Just get your news from several sources to 'piece together' the most accurate picture.

Fern

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Fox news is pretty unbiased. A lot less biased than CNN. Proof is in the viewership.

Wow, that deserves a special bad logic prize.

 

[n yusef]

Unbiased does not mean moderate. On some issues, only one side is moral. What is a moderate position on women's suffrage? What is a moderate position on the internment of the Japanese in WWII? A current example: What is a moderate position on torture? Even more basic: What is a moderate position on murder? To be between two sides of an issue is not to be unbiased. Rather, there is a distinct "moderate" bias (in quotes because moderate in America is conservative in Continental Europe and very liberal in most religious societies). The Moderate Bias is to assume that between two extremes is always the correct answer, even though history has shown that what was once extreme is now mainstream. Politics is a always progressing, and what was moderate fifty years ago is reactionary now. What is moderate today (an current example is supporting same-sex civil unions but not same-sex marriage; shame on you, Mr. Obama) will be very conservative in the future.

No political view is unbiased, and bias is not defined as, "anything with which I disagree." Rather, It is the role of the viewer to decided which bias she prefers. Many people want an anti-torture bias, and a pro-equality bias. But some want a ticking-time-bomb bias, or a religious bias, and it is foolish for either to claim that bias is something that only belongs to the other.

 

[PaperclipGod]

Originally posted by: n yusef
Unbiased does not mean moderate. On some issues, only one side is moral. What is a moderate position on women's suffrage? What is a moderate position on the internment of the Japanese in WWII? A current example: What is a moderate position on torture? Even more basic: What is a moderate position on murder? To be between two sides of an issue is not to be unbiased. Rather, there is a distinct "moderate" bias (in quotes because moderate in America is conservative in Continental Europe and very liberal in most religious societies). The Moderate Bias is to assume that between two extremes is always the correct answer, even though history has shown that what was once extreme is now mainstream. Politics is a always progressing, and what was moderate fifty years ago is reactionary now. What is moderate today (an current example is supporting same-sex civil unions but not same-sex marriage; shame on you, Mr. Obama) will be very conservative in the future.

No political view is unbiased, and bias is not defined as, "anything with which I disagree." Rather, It is the role of the viewer to decided which bias she prefers. Many people want an anti-torture bias, and a pro-equality bias. But some want a ticking-time-bomb bias, or a religious bias, and it is foolish for either to claim that bias is something that only belongs to the other.

Excellent post, that's a great explanation!

So, do you feel news can be reported in an unbiased manner even though the reports are produced by inherently biased creatures (humans)?

For example, on women's suffrage, an unbiased report could consist solely of events as they happen -- interpretation of those events (and any digressions on morality) would be left to the editorials.

In fact, unbiased reporting is probably made easier today as electronic media doesn't limit a reporter to a certain number of words. The less space you have to report an event, the more you have to abstract the details. With the internet, the actual details of an event can all be published even if they're hundreds of pages in length.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Fox news is pretty unbiased. A lot less biased than CNN. Proof is in the viewership. More than CNN and MSNBC put together.

They are the only network that provides alternate takes on a story. You'd NEVER see CNN allowing something like that.

Actually, Fox gets a lot of viewership because they're the only major news outlet the swings right.

Fox news is no more right than CNN is left.

Regardless of where you think CNN falls compared to center - there is just no denying that Fox leans very right, which is why they have strong viewership - no competition. Hell, anyone that understands supply and demand could tell you that one.

So you agree the other news outlets lean left then.

Yep. But if you combine all of the left leaning outlets 'leftness' they'd still be closer to center than Fox is.

 

[JJChicken]

Fox News - No I'm being serious. Not the commentary section, but the news itself.

 

[Nightfall]

I prefer to use http://news.google.com

Then I get all the sources right there and can read both sides and fall somewhere in the middle.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Believe it or not...I get most of my news and news analysis here at ATPN. The slant on the news is typically highly biased...but I can count on getting diverse perspectives...some of which are very intelligent and well thought out.

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

Fox News. While they most definitely lean right, they at least attempt to present both sides of the story, unlike MSNBC and CNN. MSNBC is way out in left field. CNN is a little more moderate, but still very much left-leaning. Insulting lady reporter at tea parties, for example.

Nightfall also gave a good example as well. Google News might be the best, since it is just a news aggregate and grabs news from all over the web. However, if there is a human deciding which stories to show and which ones to hide, then it could be biased. Even if it was automatic, the algorithm could be designed to favor one type of story over another.

All that being said, I'm going to echo the sentiment of others in this thread: there is really no truly "unbiased" news source. There are some sources that are more reliable than others, but they all have some sort of slant.

 

[LtPage1]

I like the Christian Science Monitor, especially for international news. Don't let the name scare you off, they're the best.

 

[BladeVenom]

Fox is only considered conservative because 90% of the reporters on the other stations are liberals. So it really is the most balanced.

 

[Riceninja]

huffington post is pretty good

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Fox news is pretty unbiased. A lot less biased than CNN. Proof is in the viewership. More than CNN and MSNBC put together.

They are the only network that provides alternate takes on a story. You'd NEVER see CNN allowing something like that.

Actually, Fox gets a lot of viewership because they're the only major news outlet the swings right.

Fox news is no more right than CNN is left.

Regardless of where you think CNN falls compared to center - there is just no denying that Fox leans very right, which is why they have strong viewership - no competition. Hell, anyone that understands supply and demand could tell you that one.

Let's not count Bill O'Reilly and Hannity & Colmes because it's OBVIOUS those shows are designed to slant right -- not to mention it's not really news but more commentary.

 

[Phokus]

NPR is the most unbiased, it's serious news and not entertainment like Faux News. Unfortunately that means it won't be popular with 99% of the idiot masses out there.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: DLeRium

Let's not count Bill O'Reilly and Hannity & Colmes because it's OBVIOUS those shows are designed to slant right -- not to mention it's not really news but more commentary.

Okay. So lets not count our good friend Bill, as he's intended to slant to the right. Lets not count Hannity, as it's intended to slant to the right. Better not count Hannity's America either, as it's intended to slant to the right. Lets not count Glenn Beck, as it's intended to slant to the right. Let's not count Fox & Friends, because it's intended to slant to the right. Let's not count Your World with Neil Cavuto as it's intended to slant to the right. Let's not count Huckabee, because it's intended to slant to the right. Lets not count the Journal Editorial Report, because it's intended to slant to the right.

Sooner or later, a pattern emerges... hahaha.