Spring Break
Letter: Student suggests questioning media coverage
Issue date: 9/16/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
To the Cigar,
Allow me to start out by saying this column is not to attempt to influence your opinion in the upcoming election. Today the line between reporter and commentator has become clouded by some writers' attempts to use their reporting to influence our opinions on topics.
Journalism should be used to inform the general public in an unbiased manner. It is becoming more and more difficult to find unbiased journalism in this country, to the degree that I find my news on the BBC. Is it right that I have to go to a foreign news agency to get unbiased news reporting? I have been watching the reporting on TV and listening to the radio about the upcoming election. In making a decision about such important matters, I like to be well informed. So watching Charles Gibson interview Sarah Palin was a necessity. While I watched the interview something seemed amiss. Palin did not seem like the person who had lit up the Republican National Convention. She seemed lost.
The next morning, I was listening to the radio (630 AM) and was surprised to find out that other listeners were as confused as I was. On my ride home every evening around, I listen to Dan Yorke, who for those of you who do not know, is on 630AM around 5 p.m. every night. As I listened, Mr. Yorke was very upset about something.
At first I was not sure what, but as I later found out, was the Sarah Palin interview. Mr. Yorke was upset because the interview had been cut due to time constraints. This is common in most interviews. However, the manner of the cuts is disturbing. ABC cut the answers at crucial spots.
There were two showings of the interview, one at 6 p.m. and the other at 11 p.m. It is common to show interviews that are popular twice. However, Mr. Yorke watched the 6 p.m. version and his assistant the 11 p.m. version. While talking, they realized they saw two different interviews. Mr. Yorke felt the same way that I did - Mrs. Palin seemed somewhat lost. His assistant, however, felt that she answered the questions properly.
Allow me to start out by saying this column is not to attempt to influence your opinion in the upcoming election. Today the line between reporter and commentator has become clouded by some writers' attempts to use their reporting to influence our opinions on topics.
Journalism should be used to inform the general public in an unbiased manner. It is becoming more and more difficult to find unbiased journalism in this country, to the degree that I find my news on the BBC. Is it right that I have to go to a foreign news agency to get unbiased news reporting? I have been watching the reporting on TV and listening to the radio about the upcoming election. In making a decision about such important matters, I like to be well informed. So watching Charles Gibson interview Sarah Palin was a necessity. While I watched the interview something seemed amiss. Palin did not seem like the person who had lit up the Republican National Convention. She seemed lost.
The next morning, I was listening to the radio (630 AM) and was surprised to find out that other listeners were as confused as I was. On my ride home every evening around, I listen to Dan Yorke, who for those of you who do not know, is on 630AM around 5 p.m. every night. As I listened, Mr. Yorke was very upset about something.
At first I was not sure what, but as I later found out, was the Sarah Palin interview. Mr. Yorke was upset because the interview had been cut due to time constraints. This is common in most interviews. However, the manner of the cuts is disturbing. ABC cut the answers at crucial spots.
There were two showings of the interview, one at 6 p.m. and the other at 11 p.m. It is common to show interviews that are popular twice. However, Mr. Yorke watched the 6 p.m. version and his assistant the 11 p.m. version. While talking, they realized they saw two different interviews. Mr. Yorke felt the same way that I did - Mrs. Palin seemed somewhat lost. His assistant, however, felt that she answered the questions properly.
