140 PART TwO • THE POlITICS OF AMERICAn dEMOCRACy
Television, print media, and the Internet provide a
wide range of choices for Americans who want to
stay informed. Still, critics of the media argue that
a substantial amount of what you read and see is
colored either by the subjectivity of editors and
bloggers or by the demands of profit making. Few
Americans take the time to become critical consum-
ers of the news.Why Should You Care? Even if you do not plan
to engage in political activism, you have a stake
in ensuring that your beliefs are truly your own
and that they represent your values and interests.
To guarantee this result, you need to obtain accu-
rate information from the media and avoid being
swayed by subliminal appeals, loaded terms, or out-
right bias. If you do not take care, you could find
yourself voting for a candidate who is opposed to
what you believe in or voting against measures that
are in your interest.
Even when journalists themselves are rela-
tively successful at remaining objective, they will of
necessity give publicity to politicians and interest
group representatives who are far from impartial.
You need the ability to determine what motivates
the players in the political game and how much
they are “shading” the news or even propagating
outright lies. You also need to determine which
news outlets are reliable.What Can You Do? To become a critical news
consumer, you must develop a critical eye and ear.
Ask yourself what stories are given prominence at
the top of a newspaper’s Web site. For a contrast
to most daily papers, visit the sites of publications
with explicit points of view, such as the National
Review (search on “national review”) or the New
Republic (search on “tnr”). Take note of how they
handle stories.
Sources such as blogs often have strong politi-
cal preferences, and you should try to determine
what these are. Does a blog merely give opinions,
or does it back up its arguments with data? It is
possible to select anecdotes to support almost any
argument—does an anecdote represent typical cir-
cumstances, or is it a rare occurrence highlighted
to make a point?
Watching the evening news can be far more
rewarding if you look at how much the news
depends on video effects. You will note that storiesmaking a difference
bEIng A CRITICAl COnSuMER OF THE nEwS
on the evening news tend to be no more than three min-
utes long, that stories with excellent video footage get
more attention, and that considerable time is taken up
with “happy talk” or human-interest stories.
Another way to critically evaluate news coverage is
to compare how the news is covered by different outlets.
For example, you might compare the coverage of events
on Fox News with the presentation on MSNBC, or com-
pare the radio commentary of Rush Limbaugh with that
of National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. When
does a show cross the line between news and opinion?
A variety of organizations try to monitor news
sources for accuracy and bias. Consider visiting the fol-
lowing sites:- The American Journalism Review covers a wide
variety of journalistic issues, including the
migration from print media to online sources.
Find its site by entering “ajr” in a search engine. - The Committee of Concerned Journalists is a pro-
fessional organization concerned with journalis-
tic ethics. Search on “concerned journalists.” - Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting is a media
watchdog with a strong liberal viewpoint. Locate
its Web site by entering “fair reporting.“ - Accuracy in Media takes a combative conserva-
tive position on media issues. Find its site by
entering “accuracy in media.”
The National Review Online.
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