We are all responsible for bias in the media
CARSON JEREMA STAFF
PHOTO: DAVID LIPNOWSKI
Canadian newspapers are often criticized for imposing their views on an apparently naïve and easily manipulated population. Bias in the media is often taken to be a product of corporate control in the form of media ownership as well as the reliance of newspapers on advertising revenue.
This argument was challenged this past Friday when Maclean’s columnist Andrew Potter gave a talk at the U of M, provocatively titled “Two Cheers for Advertising.” Potter was addressing the western-region conference of the Canadian University Press, where more than a hundred delegates from nearly 30 campus newspapers from across the four western provinces were in attendance.
Potter argued that far from infecting news reporting with a corporate bias, advertising might very well be the “handmaiden of democracy.” Advertisers essentially subsidize newspapers, he argued, making them viable entities. Papers cost less than a buck and many independent publications are free, a reality that would not be possible without advertising. Potter continued that while advertising might be one source of bias in the media, if it is indeed a source, it is only one factor among other, more important ones. For Potter, the culprits are more likely to be the staff of newspapers and their readers.
Potter, who is a former editorial board member of This magazine, also argued that an under-reliance on advertising can sometimes leave a publication vulnerable. At This, which has a relatively small readership as well as a small advertising base, subscribers hold much more power than at other publications. He explained how at least one reader gave up their subscription because Potter, who has made a name for himself challenging the sacred cows of the left, sat on the editorial board. Following this line of thinking, advertising can allow publications to make editorial decisions without having to rely on the whims of readers. He also argued the more advertising the better and that diversity in advertising is best, as why, for example, would Pepsi pull out in the face of negative coverage if Coke was still going to advertise?
Potter’s thesis was challenging and thoughtprovoking and garnered interesting an reaction from the audience.
There were of course some who dismissed Potter out-of-hand, but the much more prevalent response was to see value in what he said even while disagreeing with elements of his hypothesis. And it was quite common for campus journalists in attendance to go up to Potter and thank him for “saying what needed to be said.”
It is important to question to where media bias comes from and simply blaming it on advertising can be counter-productive. It would be foolish and near-sighted to claim that newspapers reflect the political attitudes of their readership perfectly. However, the tone of a newspaper does serve as a somewhat credible barometer of the attitudes prevalent among the communities it serves. Consider the Winnipeg Free Press, which has been criticized for being too conservative. And while this criticism is often overstated by those who would like the paper to be biased in their favour, there is some truth to it.
In the recent civic election Winnipeggers voted overwhelmingly in favour of re-electing the right-leaning Sam Katz. Critics will moan that the 38 per cent voter turnout diminishes his mandate. They might be reminded that in the 2004 by-election that saw Sam Katz initially sent to City Hall, voter turnout was nearly 60 per cent. Further, Katz beat second-place Dan Vandal by a significant margin despite a split among conservative candidates. In other words, that the Free Press sometimes reflects a right-of-centre tone, might say as much about its readers as about the paper itself.
To increase or maintain readership, newspapers whether consciously or not often tailor themselves to their readership. This is not only true of smaller publications like This. For example, does anyone really wonder why the Calgary Herald is among the most rightwing mainstream publications in the country? None of this is to suggest that publications should be excused for the biases they have. However, it does little good to assume that readers are always victims of that bias as opposed to one of its sources.
