Is bias/subjectivity an inevitable part of the news? Why or why not?

In response to this question, I am inclined to believe that bias/subjectivity is an inevitable part of the news.  First and foremost because Gladstone, in her work, “The Influencing Machine,” dedicates pages 61-70 for outlining “the biases [she] believes [we] should worry about” (Gladstone 61).  While speculative, I am sure that she would not take the time to do such if she did not believe that bias/subjectivity was an inevitable part of the news.  Secondly, Gladstone goes on to assert that commercial bias is the biggest bias because “news needs conflict and momentum” (Gladstone 62) so that the news stays new. When observing news outlets, they “too rarely follow up on stories they’ve already reported” (Gladstone 62).  In my own experience when watching the news, I too feel as though the stories being reported on last much longer than necessary.  One example is a local tire-slasher in Philadelphia.  Over Christmas break a man was arrested for slashing tires across the southern district of Philadelphia.  By the end of Christmas breaking, having heard this story daily, for more than a week and a half, I thought the story would be put to rest.  I remember going home for mid-Winter recess and hearing a news report about this man’s trial and how he was claiming mental insanity for slashing people’s tires – the story was not terminated for week almost two months, according to my mom.  These stories appeal to the human nature that craves the sensational news deviating from the factual and becoming that similar to a novel.

Finally, bias/subjectivity is an inevitable part of the news because news is a subset of the media, thus it is an enterprise.  The goal of an enterprise is to gain capital, therefore by using the commercial bias or any of the biases, which Gladstone outlines; a news outlet is attempting to maximize their capital gain by obtaining higher viewer ratings.  In short, these biases help to expand viewer demographic thus fulfilling the latter. Bias is inevitable simple because of the nature of the news, human nature and, frankly, because Gladstone asserts such an argument.

-Akaash Agarwal

What responsibilities do media producers have to their consumers?

Media Producers have many responsibilities to uphold to their consumers. The most important responsibility they have is to instill trust. Before becoming a well-known source, media producers need to build a strong growing relationship with the public. If people do not trust the news outlet, they will have no reason to continue watching or paying for that specific program. Why waste time and money to learn falsely reported news? If media producers do not take time to ensure that their consumers trust them, the producers will end up losing consumers and dropping in ratings. People want to watch accurate news. The public does not want to be responsible for spreading a false story that they heard on the news. Naturally, people want to be the most informed first among their peer groups. One gains a sense of self-pride from it. If a news outlet began reporting false stories, their consumers would slowly make the move to another media outlet. Overall, trust is the most important responsibility media producers have to their consumers.

The media producers also have the responsibility to continue providing the public with updates on old news and brand NEW stories as soon as they occur. They have a responsibly to report on stories first before any other news outlet covers it. The faster they report new stories, the more consumers they will gain. For example, on each presidential election night, each news channel is racing to call the results of each state first; however, the media producers must be responsible and careful in what they put on the air. Once put on the air, it can never be revoked. If they are to predict a state wrongly or much later than their competitors, their consumers will be very angry and change the channel. Therefore there is a constant race and battle to be the best and the most accurate.

The media also must be responsible in ensuring that they make their consumers feel safe at all times. This involves interviewing specialists and analysts related to the current crisis that has occurred at the time. This is important in helping to calm the public down after signs of threats or outbursts of crimes or diseases.
- Celine Olcott