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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Nothing is unbiased.  Look at any news article from a credible source, and you'll find even the tiniest word - perhaps only 3 letters long - that can change the tone of the piece in a hot second.

Well balanced means 
- both sides are presented with the same amount of material
- with the same quality of sources
- absent of any words that can persuade a reader to take one side over the other

virtually impossible[/quote]

I don't think that's a good definition of unbiased.  [b]Not all positions are equally supported by facts,[/b] and giving equal time regardless of the evidence is part of the problem with news.  If we had to give equal time to people who believe the earth is flat vs. round, all for the sake of "balance", then the press has failed to achieve its most basic goal: to inform.  Instead, it has given fifty percent of its time to misinformation.[/quote]

Yes, they are.  But you need solid investigative reporting to accomplish that.

Take Holmes's massacre, for example.  It was a tragedy that got quite a bit of press.  So the focus was on the actual incident.  We know very little about his background and what perhaps pushed him over the edge.  So in this case, you'd need a reporter comfortable with some sort of psychological analysis.  There are specialists out there who find a niche.  However, b/c there's no quality control (I blame the internet.), we are used to quick information we can absorb while eating our egg McMuffin on the way to work.

So I have to disagree with you.  It's the lazy reporter who can't get both sides - or the lazy news source who won't encourage multiple reporters to gather information from all sides.

Our society has embraced simplistic reporting, and as a result, no one ever fully gets the big picture.  It's a vicious cycle.  [/quote]

You're suggesting that there should have been an article saying, "Holmes carried out one of the deadliest shootings in history, killing dozens of innocent people and injuring many more.  On the other hand, Holmes was a straight-A student who usually had a good reason for anything he did.  Although his reasons for carrying out the attack are not clear, this reporter will not stop searching until we get the true balanced story on this tragedy--a tragedy for both sides."

Another example:  "Jerry Sandusky was convicted today of 49 counts of sexual abuse of minors that he committed over 8 years, using his charity and position in Penn State football to lure children into circumstances where he took advantage of them.  On the other hand, Sandusky is well known for his outstanding football coaching and his charity work through the Second Mile, a program that has helped many struggling children over the years.  Although his crimes are horrendous, they weigh in the balance against Mr. Sandusky's positive traits, which cannot be discounted."

Indeed, there are two sides to every story.[/quote]

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