No, Winnie, it doesn't work like this at all:
Bias is a two-edged sword, and somehow, the people who bitch about bias have no shame about posting an eternal stream of warbloggerage and "political commentary" here. In W's world, I guess bias cuts in exactly one direction, which is amusing but not exactly surprising.
We are entitled to our opinions. We can post whatever we wish, even you. And we do. We can back up our opinions as we see fit, and let them live or die in the marketplace of ideas.
A newspaper, particularly a large one with a national and international audience, is regulated by several codes of ethics, prominent among which is the self-imposed obligation to be fair and unbiased.
justicejournalism.org
Your argument about Okrent's statement is beyond silly, and you know it. If a newspaper is liberal or leftish, how can it fairly and impartially report foreign affairs--heck, any news--pursuant to the journalistic codes it had adopted?
Take a look at the very first thing the NYT's own code of ethics requires it to do:
1. The goal of The New York Times is to cover the news as impartially as possible — “without fear or favor,” in the words of Adolph Ochs, our patriarch — and to treat readers, news sources, advertisers and others fairly and openly, and to be seen to be doing so. The reputation of The Times rests upon such perceptions, and so do the professional reputations ofits staff members. Thus The Times and members of its news department and editorial page staff share an interest in avoiding conflicts of interest or an appearance of a conflict.
poynterextra.org |
