The Albuquerque Journal, like many
publications and TV news operations, attempts to be balanced in their election coverage. Often an article about Bush will appear next to
an article about Kerry. In each article, the other side will get a paragraph or two for rebuttal. Balance is measured in number of words
(or seconds on the TV).
Look at the front page of today’s Albuquerque Journal:
front page
As you see for yourself, we have a huge, flattering picture of Bush above which he is quoted in a huge headline:
‘We’re Making Progress.’ Now, to balance this, on the same page, above the fold, we also have an article that might seem to be
about Kerry — at least his name is prominently in the headline: Kerry’s Visit Costs Drivers. Read the article to learn that it
has almost nothing to do with Kerry, though the headline does manage to convey something negative about him. This article barely deserves
to be in the A section; it is certainly not front-page news.
I’m not quite blaming the reporter, who could have written a more
interesting article if he extended his story to account for what all of these political visits cost everyone. It is the editor who choses
to put this trivial article on the front page and who writes the headline (‘Security Measures Cost Some Citizens More Than Others’ is
more accurate) — it’s the editors who control what you and I see and the impressions we take away from the news.
Fair and balanced?
Far from it. mjh
