Column: Is this column too biased?
As news evolves and younger people continue to move away from traditional newspapers, the understanding of what journalists do has become convoluted.
Most distressingly, I have observed misconceptions about the difference between articles written exclusively from a factual basis and those that center around a particular viewpoint.
As a journalist and a student, I find media literacy imperative. I am just old enough that I spent a great deal of my life reading traditional, printed newspapers. Even before the semester I first joined the newspaper, spring 2014, if you’re wondering, I could tell you all the sections of a newspaper and what they would contain. This does not seem to be the case anymore.
Generally, newspapers have at least four sections: news, arts, sports and opinions. They often include many other sections, with papers like The New York Times maintaining over a dozen.
The news section should include only articles that are made up entirely of factual information that has been properly vetted. When possible, these articles should address every side of the story. Research, fact-checking and proper editing is imperative, especially on stories that are defined as hard news, such as a crime-related topic.
A little more allowance is given to articles written for sections like sports or arts and entertainment. They sometimes allow a small amount of perspective, though they are typically made up mostly of facts. Certain articles for these may be written from a specific standpoint, like a sports column or a music review.
Articles that are written for the opinions section are typically called columns or editorials; both incorporate opinionated material. A column is usually written by a single reporter and encompasses their own opinion on a topic, usually backed up by factual information used as justification. An editorial is written by one or more, usually senior, editors and represents the opinion held by the publication, rather than a single individual.
A grave misunderstanding is that columns or editorials can be “too biased,” but this is fundamentally incorrect. By definition, these articles are written with the purpose of reflecting a specific opinion and are therefore going to be biased.
It is perfectly acceptable to disagree with the opinions written in a column; I do on a regular basis. However, when you insinuate that only certain opinions should be published or that journalists should keep their opinions to themselves, you are overlooking a cornerstone of democracy.
Including a robust opinions section in the newspaper protects important principles of the first amendment: the right to a free press and the right to free speech.
