The most pervasive form of bias in news media is omitting information
Bottom Line: If you’ve listened to me for at least a week, you’re familiar with my saying. The most pervasive form of bias in news media, in my highly informed opinion, is omitting of information. I only keep myself sane by thinking it’s my place in the world to fill in those gaps. But it’s not just me and not just you who agree with my long-held belief. Most Americans now feel the same. According to the latest research out of the Pew Research Center...
- 61% of Americans believe news media intentionally withholds newsworthy information
That’s an encouraging number. It also explains why traditional news media is almost dead. It deserves to be. One of my frustrations in the pursuit of information and the truth has been the extent to which news media ignores real news. For example, I routinely bring national stories to light through investigative work and sources I’ve developed over 20+ years. I’ll present them on-air and online and news organizations will ignore the stories altogether unless a “mainstream” outlet picks them up. It’s even more startling when it’s a South Florida related story and I’ll have national outlets reach out to me about my stories but will be ignored by local media. Aside from any agenda they may have - heaven forbid they portray me as credible. Then they can’t write me off as a talk radio lunatic.
Over time listeners, hopefully you, have come to understand that my credibility is rock solid. On that note, ironically yesterday a source central to a national story I’ve been working on paid me this compliment. “Your journalistic integrity is the best”. I appreciate the sentiment but to me it’s sad. I didn’t set out to be a journalist. I started out as a talk show host. Over the years my role has morphed out of what I realized to be a giant hole of missing truth. This is the omitting I speak of frequently. The encouraging thing is most realize there’s a problem. Even if most don’t necessarily know what the truth they’re missing happens to be – yet.