L’Economist si chiede se i giornali devono essere imparziali. E lancia una piccola richiesta di opinioni.
internet, consumers are overwhelmed with information and want to be told
what it all means. As we note in our special report,
America’s highly profitable Fox News channel is not the only news
organisation that is unafraid to say what it thinks and is prospering as
a result. Other examples include the Al-Jazeera television network,
with its unabashed support for Arab reform and, indeed, The Economist, which has been proudly banging the drum for free trade, internationalism and minimum interference from government since 1843.
The
idea that journalists should be “impartial” in reporting news is, in
fact, a relatively recent one, and finds most support in America. In
Europe overt partisanship in newspapers is widespread and state-run
television channels often have party allegiances.
Some
commentators welcome the rise of a partisan press, provided it is
accompanied with a new emphasis on transparency. They are often
sceptical about news organisations that claim to be impartial–one
example being Britain’s BBC, frequently accused of left-wing bias
despite its statutory requirement to be balanced. These sceptics argue
that instead of pretending to be completely lacking in biases and
opinions, journalists should be open about any financial interests or
political leanings that may colour their reporting, and provide much
more detail on their source material, so that their audiences can
evaluate the strength of their arguments. Others argue that this would
hardly compensate for the loss of a commitment to giving all sides of a
story, to make it easy for audiences to form their own judgments.
even in the internet age, should respectable news organisations strive
to be fair and balanced? Your views, and votes, are most welcome.»
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