How to Deal with Biased Media
Glenn Reynolds opines for Pajamas Media that conservatives and independents who worry about the bias of the so-called ‘elite media’ should counter those media by supporting more conservative outlets and / or by creating conservative outlets of their own.
Although Reynolds’ solution is logical, I am afraid that it would not result in members of the elite media doing a better job, nor in a better informed public.
After all, all that would happen is that the public can choose from liberally biased news or conservatively biased news. It would still be biased, and, as such, not informative. Rather, the goal of the counterorganizations would also be to influence public opinion – doing what the elite media are trying to do now, albeit from a different perspective.
No, what truly needs to happen is that the public starts supporting outlets that try not to be biased, or that give room to both liberals and conservatives. Middle of the road outlets, then, and truly neutral ones. If the ratings of these outlets go up, it is possible that the ‘elite media’ will either follow suit or that the larger public will also take a look at said ‘moderate’ and ‘neutral’ news sources.
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Agreed whole-heartedly.