Bias

A book by this name caused quite a ruckus in the media world a few years ago. The position of the author, Bernie Goldberg, was that there was an obvious and deliberate left-leaning agenda in main-stream American media. In response to this liberal-angle reporting, we saw an increase of news reporting that was touted as being 'fair and balanced.'

Even before our group of 35 students attending the Reynolds Institute arrived here at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at ASU in Phoenix, we were aware of the impropriety of reporting news that is slanted. However, yesterday, in an exercise designed by our host, Steve Elliott, I, along with many other of my Fellows, found myself discarding caution, skepticism and neutrality in order to 'get the real scoop.'

Given a scenario that appeared on the surface to be an obvious 'mob hit,' I started my investigation as a cub reporter trying to prove my case. Much along the vein of the fabled Procrustean bed, I tried to make the facts of the story fit my theory. After interviewing seven various characters who were involved in our investigation, I was quite convinced that there was indeed a heinous crime committed by an alleged mob boss.

Had it not been for the patient research of some of the other members of group 3, I would have seriously embarrassed myself in this fabricated experiment. If left to my own devices, I would have called my editor with a totally inaccurate and misleading report on what turned out to be an unfortunate and coincidental accident.

This is an excellent example to me how reporting on an event or an issue is much more difficult than it appears. Preconceptions and assumptions must be set aside. Reporting involves finding facts, asking the right people the right questions, and being persistent. Reporting is hard work. As I become a better journalist by attending this institute, I will be able to become a better teacher as I share my learning with my students this fall.

Rick Burd
Wickenburg High School
Wickenburg, AZ