Do you think it is OK for media organizations to support candidates in elections or should they remain neutral?

Saturday 27th September, 02:29 PM JST

15 Comments

mechadamuramu at 03:02 AM JST - 28th September

Some should remain neutral. However its undeniable that some will choose a side, even if its not the entire news organization itself, it may just be one guy with one talk show etc. That's fine. As long as they always tell the truth and use the facts its fine if you have a personal bias. Its NOT ok when you outright lie and change the facts simply to get your listeners to vote for a certain candidate.

I'm looking at you Fox News. grr
Sebarashii at 06:39 AM JST - 28th September

Media outlets should refrain from endorsing a candidate in a political election. Even though they have the same rights as individuals to express their preferences and opinions, they also have the responsibility to serve as the Fourth Estate and be an institution of check and control to governments. If, however, they endorse a candidate through his/her campaign, they are likely to fail this responsibility, for example by defending the policies of said candidate, and thereby their support, once he/she got elected. Also, throughout the world, there are a number of examples of media moguls, who ran for office and used their media outlets as campaigning device, like Italy's Silvio Berlusconi. The influence of FoxNews in the USA is also a good example.
mechadamuramu at 05:46 AM JST - 29th September

Good point and I didn't know that about Italy. Maybe in more calm or homogeneous countries its easier to see the media bias, but at least in America all the major news outlets are owned by other corporations. NBC is partially owned by Microsoft and General Electric. I fail to see how a company like that could be "unbiased" in all circumstances when they document the day to day activities of a war and yet make jet engines for military planes. When media outlets own or are owned by companies that offer other goods and services besides news then I think that should be a violation of "conflict of interest laws".
Mark_McCracken at 12:07 PM JST - 29th September

Your poorly worded questions fails to distinguish between news departments and media organizations. News Departments should be neutral. Media organizations are often companies which pay taxes and have specific issues and governmental needs (airwaves come to mind) so they should be able to support specific candidates.
smartacus at 12:17 PM JST - 29th September

Mark

The only flaw in your reasoning is that the editor of a certain news department will not be able to remain neutral if the boss of the media organization wants the paper or TV station to back a certain candidate. Media barons like Rupert Murdoch are notorious for firing execs who buck the prevailing winds from upstairs.
Mark_McCracken at 12:55 PM JST - 29th September

That's true Smartacus. The conflict between media organization management and News Editors is decades old. As you rightly point out, management seems to be showing unnecessary influence recently. Ideally, readers and viewers would stop using bias media, and outlets like FoxNews on the right and the New York Times on the left, would see the errors of their ways and become more impartial.
Farmboy at 08:52 AM JST - 30th September

As far as I know, media organizations are not restricted as to who they choose to support, and if they were, who would do the restricting? The problem these days is that there are too few media organizations, and too few readers who demand balanced reporting. Most people are just looking for support for "their side," and don't want to hear well-presented opposing arguments. People just pick their flavor of news and are content with that. Sad, but true, I think.
Triple888 at 10:23 AM JST - 30th September

Being neutral makes articles very boring.
frontandcentre at 03:22 PM JST - 30th September

In newspaper editorials, I always find it interesting to read the justification for supporting a particular candidate in an election, so I would have to answer that it should be allowed - up to a point.

However, all news sources should be balanced when reporting the facts and arguments surrounding "news" items. This is something that the likes of Fox News have proven to be very bad at - their greatest 'crime' is giving air time to commentators who simply abuse guests and then tell shameless lies to support their bigoted arguments.
Loki520 at 08:14 PM JST - 30th September

I like how everyone piles on Fox... The remainder of the network channels are in the tank for Obama, and everyone just keeps piling on the ONE channel that leans to the right...

Of course they should remain neutral. If they don', they are SHAPING the news instead of reporting it. It all stated with that newstard Cronkite and gone downhill since then. "Journalists" now feel it is their duty to shape future events, especially politics. Omitted facts, statements, etc... are all ways to shape without lying. CNN is especially good at it. And so is Fox.
Zurg at 08:45 PM JST - 30th September

My Point of View

Media must not endorse anyone. They must remain neutral in order to let the people decide. Accurate reporting is essential in order to build trust. It is the media's responsibility to be trust worthy regardless. When the media interjects THEIR point of view, then favoritism arises. Allot of people are not as Robotic as the paper thinks they are.

Take this Forum for Japan Today, for instance. There are many points of view. Some views definantly not mine! And yet look at Washington Post, NYT. It is very clear that favoritism of the left lives there. It exposes how far left wing they are. They distort the truth and thousands believe that those papers are THEIR bible, which, of course, can never lie, don't you know!!

Don't forget, if you say a lie a thousand times it begins to appear to be truth.

Of course, this is My Point of View.
frontandcentre at 02:27 PM JST - 1st October

Loki520 - I think we can safely say that only Fox News permits people like Bill O'Reilly to come on an scream at people who don't agree with his deranged views to "shut up". Perhaps if they tried to be a credible new channel - albeit with a right-wing slant - people might take them more seriously. The trouble is that their editors place opinions well before the facts. Most news is fact, not conjecture.

As for your observation on it cutting both ways - sorry, but CNN has a LOT more credibility as an international news channel than Fox News does, because it employs award-winning journalists as well as for the reasons given above. I have never thought of CNN being left-wing in any sense whatsoever - right wingers have a long record of trotting out political bias as an explanation for why honest reporting sometimes makes them look bad
Steppenwolf323 at 07:54 AM JST - 3rd October

I have read this discourse with great interest. All the US News Networks are biased, most especially for the left. Fox seems to be the only right leaning of the whole bunch. I don't trust any of them. The German Media is much more analytical and centrist.

I found it interesting that one of the comments above referred to CNN (who has been alternatively called the Clinton News Network or the Communist News Network) as fair. I also found it interesting no one mentioned MSNBC and NPR which are so far left that they should have Michael Moores photo in their atriums.

I think most Americans might want to think of their founding fathers fears of political parties and the discord they breed. Should America, not anyones political agenda not come first?
Suzu1 at 11:50 AM JST - 3rd October

FrontandCentre - You are obviously unaware of CNN's less than stellar history with its Tailwind coverage and the revelations of shameful bias on Iraq issues under its former news executive Eason Jordan. Political opinion on commentary shows is very different from political commentary during the hard news segments on news channels. This was painfully learned by a reporter in Detroit who was justifiably fired for her incredibly bad decision to wear an Obama shirt while covering his rally:

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081002/METRO/810020448
Ah_so at 11:56 PM JST - 3rd October

Confusing question and it seems to have been interpreted as one about CNN and Fox, whereas "media" should include all media, such as print, internet, radio and TV.

Most people want straight "news" to be neutral, but are happy to seek out newspapers that support their point of view.