When You Think About It: Balance vs Objectivity

F LoBuono

As journalists, we are charged with "balancing" our stories, i.e. we must show both sides of any given situation. In this way we hope to achieve a level of trust with our audience that says what we are telling them is trustworthy AND accurate. And, therein lies the rub. The story should be told openly and with no hidden agenda. THAT'S the trustworthy part. But, equally important, if not more so, is that the information be CORRECT. When a journalist strives for balance without honoring accuracy, the effect can be devastating. We must be OBJECTIVE above all else.

This happens in virtually all news organizations. In an effort to be "fair", producers often look to unreliable sources to balance, i.e. offer more than one point of view, their reports. Although this can inevitably occur in mainstream news, it does so most often with outlets that have their own agendas, like Fox News. Fox News has so many axes to grind that they should be in the lumber business instead of the news! Their slogan is Fair and Balanced but, in reality, they are neither. In fact, they are usually so far off the mark that I have a more descriptive name for them - FAUX News.

Here's how it works (hypothetically): The National Institute of Health (NIH), a non-profit governmental agency with no known political agenda, completes a well-funded scientific study that says guns and violence have reached epidemic levels in our Country. Of course, the NRA is outraged and is quick to disagree. And, they want to be heard. So, since statistics show that most NRA member are also Faux News devotees, Faux News is eager to jump into the fray with the NRA's opposing point of view. They feel that will balance the report. The problem is that the NRA and Faux News sleep in the same bed. They have the same ax to grind - i.e. a conservative agenda. Because of their intimate relationship, it's easy. The NRA has PLENTY of spokespeople that Faux News are VERY familiar with. They book an interview with one of them and then conduct it with pointed questions that the NRA spokesperson is most eager to answer. The problem is that the information being disseminated is INACCURATE because it is not non-biased. Most often, the spokesperson attacks the organization (The NIH) that funded the study for bias without providing real facts to support their claims. It is simply conservative rhetoric. Therefore, the interview is NOT OBJECTIVE.. Faux News has simply played lip service to their motto. They may call that balance. I have another word for it - crap.

Faux News is a monster in every sense of the word. It dominated cable news so much so that it has actually become a political force in this Country. As appealing as that may sound to some, it's anathema (or, at least should be) in the news business. The news should NOT be in the business of creating policy but, rather, REPORTING it - honestly, accurately and OBJECTIVELY.

When people understand the difference, the truth will set us free.