July 22, 2002
This is a first of a series of columns that will examine issues concerning the Canadian news media. In the United States, there are several watchdog groups such as Accuracy in Media and Media Research Center that are fully devoted to monitoring the media for accuracy and bias. Bias has become a hot topic in the US since the release earlier this year of Bernard Goldberg’s bestseller, "Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News".
In Canada much of the criticism is launched not at content per se but over the issue of media ownership and convergence/divergence. Occasionally the coverage of certain topics comes under scrutiny for appearing to be too one sided. And there are often generalizations made about the media, such as the CBC is too left wing and the National Post is too right wing but rarely is there a detailed critiquing of the media as there is in the United States. There is no reason to believe that the news media in Canada is not subject to the same errors and weaknesses that are found in the print and broadcast media south of the border.
Is there bias in the Canadian media? The short answer is "yes", if for no other reason than the fact that the gathering and disseminating of news has, of necessity, a built-in bias. Resources of news gathering organizations is finite, potential sources of stories are limitless and people must exercise their judgment in deciding what and what not to report. One newspaper may decide that an event is worthy of a lot of coverage while its competition may not even be interested in reporting the story at all. As long as there are editors and producers who determine what news will be reported there will always be bias.
Even after decisions are made as to what items will be covered, the editors and producers must then decide where to place their stories. Should it be on the front page of the newspaper or on page 10 of the third section? If it appears on the front page, should it be above or beneath the fold? Should a picture accompany the article and if so, should it be big, small, colour, black and white? If a story is appearing in television news, should it be the lead or should the segment be buried in the middle? Should the coverage of the topic be a one shot deal or should there be a follow up? As long as the editors and producers who make these decisions have different perspectives of the stories they cover (or choose not to cover) the media will always be subject to an inherent bias. The only solution to this type of bias is to ensure that there are sufficient media organizations available so that the public can be exposed to as much material and as many viewpoints as possible.
Unfortunately this type of bias, which can never be eliminated, is only the tip of the iceberg.
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