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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Selected Works

Politics

Stephen D. Cooper

Journalism Studies

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

News Media Objectivity: How Do We Ask The Questions?, Stephen D. Cooper May 2013

News Media Objectivity: How Do We Ask The Questions?, Stephen D. Cooper

Stephen D. Cooper

There is a lively and often public debate in progress concerning the objectivity of the news media, or the lack of it Scholars have approached this topic from three distinct angles: content analysis, values, and the economics of the news industry. Their conclusions have varied markedly, apparently guided by their particular frames of reference. This article suggests that while we seem to have lost our fix on objectivity as a measurable attribute of news products, the news work routine of objectivity encourages fairness in our public discourse, and deserves attention in scholarly research.


Bringing Some Clarity To The Media Bias Debate, Stephen Cooper Mar 2013

Bringing Some Clarity To The Media Bias Debate, Stephen Cooper

Stephen D. Cooper

Jim A. Kuypers’ recent book, Press Bias and Politics, has made a significant advance in the methodology of inquiring into this issue—although it’s a safe bet that many in the scholarly community will be tempted to dismiss it out of hand. That’s a shame, if so, because even if one is disinclined to accept Kuypers’ conclusion that the press tends to favor ideas associated with the political left, his method can at least put the debate on a firmer footing.