Sayde's final essay

How do different media sources treat bias? Do they stay neutral, choose to support personal opinions, or are they forced to take a certain side? Is it even possible to remain neutral?

In the media group, we went to three different sources (NPR, ESPN Radio, and NECN) to answer our essential questions. At each of the places, the answers I found were actually pretty different from one another, especially depending on the type of news being broadcasted.
Our first stop was National Public Radio. When asked about the companies views on bias, our tour guide said they took pride in being an unbiased news source, and made sure people got the solid information so they could made their own opinions on things. Though this seemed to contradict things I had previously heard about NPR, our tour guide seemed pretty confident in what he was saying. Another interesting thing the tour guide said was that no sponsor or listener can influence what is broadcasted; meaning outside forces cannot choose what is put on the news.
Our next stop was ESPN Radio. Here, I got a completely different answer to my question. When asked if the broadcasters took sides in debates between team, our tour guide exclaimed “Yes!!...This is sports!” Unlike the news radio, sports radio thrives on rivalries and debates. “Commotion = listeners = prophet and advertising.” Sports radio is all based on opinion. It seems almost impossible to be successful in that market without playing on the rivalries like Red Sox vs. Yankees and Patriots vs. Jets. A program about a game without any sort of sides taken would be boring to listen to, and wouldn’t bring much excitement to the world of sports.
Our final stop was New England Cable News, which, unlike the other two, was a TV station. When asked about their opinions on bias in the news room, I got an interesting answer. One of the most experienced anchormen on the station stated that there is “not a neutral in this world.” He says he makes sure people get the honest, straightforward news without personal opinions, but that you have to have an understanding of human impacts on certain issues in order to give a good story. For example, though one might not state that it is a bad thing and should stop, he/she has to talk about the human cost in order to give a good story and tell people was is really going on.
Through all of the information gathered, I have found that there are multiple answers to my essential question. The answer varies mainly on the type of news being cast. If it’s a basic news story, one would most likely hear the all around raw material of it, without much opinionated news. If it’s a Yankee’s vs. Red Socks game, the song “Yankee’s Suck” will probably be playing in the background while the sportscasters give their reports. Though some may claim to be completely neutral, there is no such thing in the news world. Neutrality is a claim based on an opinion itself, and it is impossible to be truly and completely neutral in the media business.