How To Stop Worrying and Love Media Bias

Episode description:

People say they long for that misty past when the news was just the facts, but that never was, of course. Newsrooms are human organizations and journalists are people and however they may strive for objectivity, they come with biases shaped by newsroom culture newsroom and audience expectations. The smart game isn’t to avoid all bias; it’s to recognize it and then broaden your news consumption beyond one perspective.

Today’s guest has for years been helping people do that. He’s John Gable, founder of AllSides, known for its media bias chart, which ranks well-known newsrooms by their perceived political leanings. All Sides also aggregates the most pressing news of the day linking to Right Left and Center takes on each headline. John and Eric discuss how the bias rankings are made and how they ought to be used. Eric’s a user, because it gets me out of my echo chamber. You might consider doing the same…

Chapters

00:00 The Origins of AllSides
02:57 Understanding Bias Ratings
06:05 The Business Model of AllSides
09:03 The Question of Objectivity in News
12:12 Bridging the Divide: Understanding Different Perspectives
15:06 The Role of Technology in Polarization
18:02 The Red-Blue Translator: Bridging Language Gaps
20:50 Addressing Misinformation and Vaccine Hesitancy
23:57 Rebuilding Trust in Journalism
27:02 The Path to Societal Change
30:02 The Future of Media and Engagement

Created & produced by: Podcast Partners / Published: Nov 21 2024