More unbiased, objective journalism from the mainstream media

One of the constant gripes from the practitioners of the mainstream media's brand of commercial journalism is that bloggers and citizen journalists are biased and don't practice objective journalism.

Kudos to Rich Miler for pointing out two instances in which a members of the MSM demonstrate failed to live up to these lofty goals.

In the first case, the Chicago Tribune was so eager to make a case for a so-called "pardon backlog," they trumped up the case of a man jailed for a rape he didn't commit and buried details about his conviction for a different rape, one based on a witness identification.

Also, Miller points out that all it takes to get favorable treatment from the Chicago Sun-Times is hire a public relations company that wines and dines^* the newspaper's bosses.

Feh.

The only difference between bloggers/citizen journalists and the MSM is that we proudly announce our biases and our conflicts of interest. We have to, because the Blogosphere won't let is hide them.

If you work for a newspaper or a broadcaster, you've probably attended journalism school, where they teach you how to trick yourself and your audience into thinking you don't have biases and practice "objectivity." This class is called "Journalism Ethics 101." They have another class that teaches the media how to say things they suspect might not be true, but still avoid libel. This is is called "Communication Law 101."

Throughout my former career as a journalist is that newspapers small and medium-sized, daily and weekly are filled with editors and reporters who had friends they propped up, enemies they attacked with glee, and causes they promoted. They selected stories based on their biases regarding race, religion and politics. They added and removed information based on these biases.

In other words, they practiced a form of journalism that looked like it followed the unbiased, objective model. Hell, they even won awards doing so. But it was advocacy journalism. In stealth mode.

Publishers? They didn't give a rat's ass, as long as money came in and their pals down at the country club didn't bitch too much.

Blogging doesn't pay much. But at least it's honest.

^* In the interest of full disclosure: Peoria City Council member Gary Sandberg let me have a slice of his pizza a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps if he hadn't, my criticism of the Library Board's plan would have been somewhat less severe than it has been. I leave it up to my readers to decide if I've been compromised.

Cross posted to The Blog Peoria Network.