9/13/2003 02:19:00 PM
News is about reporting facts, and as change is inherent to just about every aspect of life (evolution, societal growth, technological advances, thermodynamics, universal expansion, etc.), prudent coverage of these facts will naturally reflect an ever-changing world. So it's no mystery how the conservative mind ultimately confuses ongoing long-term news organizations as those who "embrace change." Add a dose of confirmation bias, and the result is a group of right-wingers who think the news media is largely a bunch of left-leaning wackos.
If, in our walk through this playground of reality, we dismiss the notion that every modicum of life itself is black or white, it should be clear that conservatism and liberalism are not so much twins on a seesaw of "balance," but more like a merry-go-round's stop and go. Of course, no sensible person wants to ride an unrestrained merry-go-round, but life does not stop (actually, it does. But none of us here is fairly qualified to discuss that matter).
Certainly, the ability to understand and appreciate the forces behind change is required in order to stay in stride with the ever-changing world about which one might purport to report "factually." It's important that someone who professes to impartially report the news not only be able to identify specific trends, but also to correctly analyze the forces that precipitate those trends. And if an observer becomes excessively obsessed with the trends he or she is doomed to miss the forces that lead to them.
Simply put, one cannot pretend to objectively describe an ever-changing world if he thinks change is an alien force in a static world. If you're prone to knee-jerk at life's continuous stream of surprises, any claim you might make of neutrality in news reporting is either egregious or just plain stupid.
(Considering the money FOX News' phony baloney makes, I'd say egregious. It's the fan base at FOX filling the stupid shoes)
It's my opinion that a conservative bent and the reporting of news are akin to oil and water; while some slower spectators may be captivated by the performer's sleight-of-hand, no amount of spin can truly unite the two.
PT
If, in our walk through this playground of reality, we dismiss the notion that every modicum of life itself is black or white, it should be clear that conservatism and liberalism are not so much twins on a seesaw of "balance," but more like a merry-go-round's stop and go. Of course, no sensible person wants to ride an unrestrained merry-go-round, but life does not stop (actually, it does. But none of us here is fairly qualified to discuss that matter).
Certainly, the ability to understand and appreciate the forces behind change is required in order to stay in stride with the ever-changing world about which one might purport to report "factually." It's important that someone who professes to impartially report the news not only be able to identify specific trends, but also to correctly analyze the forces that precipitate those trends. And if an observer becomes excessively obsessed with the trends he or she is doomed to miss the forces that lead to them.
Simply put, one cannot pretend to objectively describe an ever-changing world if he thinks change is an alien force in a static world. If you're prone to knee-jerk at life's continuous stream of surprises, any claim you might make of neutrality in news reporting is either egregious or just plain stupid.
(Considering the money FOX News' phony baloney makes, I'd say egregious. It's the fan base at FOX filling the stupid shoes)
It's my opinion that a conservative bent and the reporting of news are akin to oil and water; while some slower spectators may be captivated by the performer's sleight-of-hand, no amount of spin can truly unite the two.
PT
