In the latest installment of our news literacy series News or Noise, senior producer Carolina Gonzalez talks with journalism students Hanna Guerrero and Laura Rodriguez about what we mean when we discuss bias in the news media.
Image courtesy of MSNBC
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Special thanks to our collaborators on our “News or Noise?” segment:
Radio Camp at Union Docs
The Pasos al Futuro Workshop at DePaul University
Hanna Guerrero is a journalism student at DePaul University. She is a summer intern at Latino USA.
Laura Rodriguez was born and raised in Guanajuato, Mexico and came to the United States at the age of 9. She is currently a 4th year student at DePaul University pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism, a minor in Latino Media and in the Spanish Language.
WOW!
The program quoted Al Sharpton as an example of biased journalism?! Was that a joke I didn’t get? You guys can use a reality check.
Al Sharpton is not, never has been, never will be, and has never claimed to be anything resembling a journalist! In fact bias is basically his job description – above all he is a civil rights activist and a Baptist minister. To say that Al Sharpton is an example of any form of journalism, is like saying that Kim Jong-Un is an example of love, tolerance, and understanding.
His MSNBC show called Politics Nation is, like most other MSNBC / FOX shows, first and foremost an OPINION show, not a newscast. It’s like saying that Hannity, O’Reilly, Stewart, and Colbert are biased journalists. They are not journalists!
That was a horrible introduction to the segment.
Did I miss it? Or, did none of the persons interviewing or being being interviewed articulate that the purpose of journalism is democracy? I did hear one person say, and go unchallenged for saying, that being fair or unbiased requires presenting both sides’ account of an issue. Why wasn’t there any discussion of the difference?
Your guest Ms. Rodriguez made and error in thinking that the Prosecution was defending George Zimmerman and your host failed to,correct her. I thought I was listening to a middle school student and was shocked to read her bio. A four college student?
I did love the piece about the heat and how it affects our workers. As a Californian I am always learning about workers rights. CNN had a show on it, Inside Man. I will never got to the grocery store again and not think about who is actually providing our food.
Mari Gumbs
I was not happy with your story last night on KQED about Bias in The Media, giving Rev. Al Sharpton’s comments about the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case as an example. No way! This trial has been biased from with the murder of Trayvon Martin, in cold blood by the callous police conduct: not arresting the killer immediately; testing Trayvon’s dead body for drugs, and not testing Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs; by not having any Black Men or Women on the jury, and ALL the straight, corporate media has been biased since this heinous crime was first committed-cold-blooded murder of an unarmed youth, due to Racial Profiling. Why didn’t your “journalism students” mention any of this, I wonder. We are all lucky that Rev. Al Sharpton’s views and opinions can at least be heard/seen on MSNBC, since I have certainly not heard his voice on NPR. All the hype about this case is definitely “Bias In The Media”, but your students got it wrong. Another example of Bias In The Media: The cases of the WHISTLEBLOWERS Bradley Manning, Julian Assange and now, Edward Snowden, called by the Corporate Media “traitors”, instead of what they are: Whistleblowers! Yes, the heard the word “traitor” over the weekend on NPR, so called “un-biased media”. I call it “National Propaganda Radio”, controlled by the corporations. (Listen to their so-called “underwriters”.) So, Latino USA, I surely expect so much MORE from you! Get some Students who know what they are talking about, please! Do not further the Biased Media that you say you are trying to expose. Please. If you want to talk to me further, I can be reached at 707-884-4703. I will keep listening, because when it comes to Immigration and Music, you guys are good. but, you surely dropped the ball on this one! You should do a retraction and talk about The Real Deal when it comes to “Bias In The Media”, puleeze! thank you. DJ Sister Yasmin