Fake news! Media bias! Hear it all the time. Those on the right scream bloody murder about the “liberal media.” Those on the left get just as worked up about “corporate media.”
Both sides have some grounds. Yes, there are operations out there passing themselves off as news organizations that have political agendas. Fox News is an instrument of propaganda for Republicans. MSNBC serves more or less the same function for Democrats, though not nearly as effectively. But most legitimate news services in what’s commonly called the “mainstream media” are not shilling for either major party. They are not indoctrinating their readers, viewers or listeners in either liberal or conservative thinking. They are trying their best to report what’s going on around us.
That’s not to say they are entirely unbiased. Journalists are like the rest of us. They have life experiences that color the way they see the world. Unlike the rest of us, the nature of their jobs requires them to constantly question what…
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