Let’s talk about the role and responsibility, if any, of news…

Question Let’s talk about the role and responsibility, if any, of news… Let’s talk about the role and responsibility, if any, of news media… this is a big one… 2020’s election was a media frenzy, to say the least. Before the election there were news stories, during the election there were news stories, after the election there were news stories… voter fraud, re-counts, “peaceful transfers of power”… 1/6/21… and the list goes on. Due to its polarizing nature and a broad general awareness, this period of time will be a sort of litmus test for media ethicity and responsibility. There is no question all media contains a bias in one form or another. Each outlet reports the same event, and they present their work as the full truth; however, their stories are often markedly different. In order to examine this, we will utilize two sources: AllSides and Ground News. Each of these uses algorithms in order to determine bias. Their respective goal is not to steer you away from any outlet but, rather, to help you see multiple sides of any given story. Below I have linked three separate stories from the election last year, and I have provided three different sources from three different outlets. Across all nine links, I have not used any outlet more than once, and I have represented each side to the best of my ability. Everything from “Far Left” to “Far Right” has been represented at least once, and I have linked a “Center” source for each story. (Each of these has been linked in such a way as to make sure you can see them for free, although you may need to click a box, or something.) Trump Remarks on Election (11/15/20): Slate (Left) (Links to an external site.) / Associated Press (Center) (Links to an external site.) / National Review (Right) (Links to an external site.)Trump and Georgia Gov. Kemp (11/14/20): Newsweek (Left) (Links to an external site.) / The Hill (Center) (Links to an external site.)/ Newsmax (Far Right)Million MAGA March (11/14/20): Bipartisan Report (Far Left) (Links to an external site.) / BBC (Center) (Links to an external site.) / WND (Far Right) (Links to an external site.)Wirte the discussion What we want to consider ethically this week is the responsibility of news media and the “narratives” they create. If they have donors, sponsors, advertising and what-have-you, what is their responsibility to providing news for them? What, if any, responsibility do they have to the general public? What responsibility do they have simply as journalists, as opposed to other types of writers, e.g. poets, sports writers, playwrights, et al.? BONUS: Since all the news we receive is mediated through some source, what responsibility do interested people have regarding the information they spread, post and “share” as “news”?BONUS, pt 2: Consider the implication of the newly created “Disinformation Governance Board,” which will “police” the spread of disinformation to the general population via various outlets. In this situation, the government will have more control over the disseminated narrative. How could this be good? How could it be bad? (The trick to these responses will be to keep from political bickering and partisan name-calling, opting, rather, for discourse about ethical responsibility. For example, the terms “liberal” and “conservative,” by definition, is a form of “name-calling,” since it points to stereo-typed dispositions of one’s opponent that are not necessarily true. To that end, and as an example, on the subject of abortion, the stereotype of a “liberal” would be “pro-choice,” and the stereotype of a “conservative” would be “pro-life”; however, statistical data from Pew Research actually points to the fact that 1 of 3 “liberals” are pro-life and 1 of 3 “conservatives” are pro-choice. Just food for thought.) Arts & Humanities Philosophy PHILO 101 Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)