In a way, the concept of of balanced news stems from the popularity of President Donald Trump’s favorite insult: Fake News. The new president has taken up a habit of deeming highly esteemed journalism as “fake” if it does not agree with his platform.
Balanced news means that a viewer can read the article or watch the program and feel that their viewpoint is both represented and challenged. However, the reality is that mainstream media sites often fail to present this. In the uproar against Trump, who often criticizes mainstream news channels, the professional reporting atmosphere has become increasingly polarized and people have begun to reevaluate their myriad of news sources, from social me- dia to television to word of mouth. So, in an age where news can be found almost anywhere, are we receiving the whole story?
In short, yes. News is everywhere, and the fact that people are limiting themselves to one channel and then complaining about bias is not a journalistic problem.
It’s understandable for people to feel frustrated when news companies like Fox Broadcasting or CNN place a blatant party a liation on prevalent political issues. If you can look beyond one source, however, you will find that all viewpoints are discussed in
the world of journalism at large.
Balanced news exist for people who look for it. There is no shortage of liberal, moderate, republican and nonpartisan journalists doing their job authentically every day. You, as the readers and viewers, just have to put in the extra work to read all viewpoints of the story and analyze the research that the journalists have gathered. The website AllSides.com has even done the work for you as it packages left, center and right news articles all together in one convenient page.
It is important to note, however, that the idea of balanced news, being a combination of di erent journalists’ viewpoints, only applies to social issues that have room for discussion. Reading multiple opinion editorials that are all backed up by adequate research makes sense when you are discussing things like politics. However, we still need to make sure we are getting the hard facts and not just the opinions.
Again, it takes extra work, but if you just read multiple articles about the same event, you will likely get the whole picture. Not all journalists are authentic all the time, but sitting around and complaining about one sided news doesn’t fix the problem. Take the time to read and watch multiple sources, but also cross reference the reporting to find the truth. The best part about the Internet is that your access to primary sources is wide open. Search for the videos, recordings and personal accounts that confirm the story. All reporting may not be fair or equal, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have balanced news.
Shreya Gunukula – Views Editor
