161: We can't solve media bias because we don't want to

I’ve seen a few articles recently about rebuilding trust in media, which is a good idea. Polls show that trust in media is very low, and in my opinion the lack of trust is very richly deserved.

Unfortunately, most of the conversation doesn’t get to the root of the problem, which I’ll try to … in a minute.

AI is the big story these days, and there have been some big mistakes around AI recently, so sometimes you might get the impression that if media can just fix the AI problem, that’ll solve the trust problem.

That’s not true. The trust problem is way deeper.

But just to get the AI issue out of the way, the solution seems fairly simple. If you use generative AI, you should make that clear. I think that’s all that needs to be said.

The bigger issue with trust in media is that people think the media is lying to them to push an agenda. The sad fact is … that’s true. Not all the time. Not in every story. But yes, it does happen far too often.

I can’t give you advice on the lying part – except to stop lying – but there is one aspect of media bias that seems very easy to fix, and it fits in with a very popular word these days. That word is diversity.

If you want to fix your bias, make sure your staff at all levels – your writers, your editors, and your management – has people from different points of view. That will help eliminate blind spots.

If you have all Democrats, or all Republicans, or all atheists, or all Catholics, you’re going to be biased. There’s no way around that.

The example that sticks in my head is from years ago. As you probably know, there are dueling demonstrations on the national mall over abortion. There’s a pro-life rally and a pro-choice rally.

Before the pro-life rally, The Washington Post had a small mention on an inside page. Before the pro-choice rally, they had front-page coverage, maps, advice on parking and how to use the Metro, where to get lunch …. It was incredible.

It’s no mystery why there was such a discrepancy. The pro-life position is not represented in the staff or management at the Post.

So if I see an article on that topic in the Post, I know where it’s coming from.

But here’s the real problem. The Post knows this. They’re not stupid people. Despite whatever they claim for PR purposes, they know perfectly well that they lean left, just as Fox news knows it leans right. That’s not an accident. It’s a strategy.

Media has discovered that people want to hear things that confirm their biases, so they pick a set of biases and confirm them.

There’s no mystery here. It’s not a problem that can be solved because it’s a direct consequence of the media giving the market what they want. Which is biased news coverage.

We just have to come to terms with that.