Should ESPN be the only news agency allowed to report on politics and elections?

Question

Sports news programs/stations like ESPN have very objective, well thought out arguments about sports that are supported with statistical data. Regular news media tends to be bias one way or the other and rarely support stances with hard stats. They never agree to see the other side of an issue, which sportscasters often do. I never see stat summaries on how candidates have voted. Why is it that we let the media be so biased? Why do we let them just throw ideas out without hard data to support it?

Answer 1

Wait a minute. Hold the presses. Didn't an NBA referee get 4 years in prison for fixing NBA games? Didn't Juventus get banished from the Italian Serie A premiership for a year for colluding with referees in game manipulation? How about Michael Vic? And the tentative batting record of Barry Bonds?

Oh, and remember the Olympic ice skating judges scandal? And the female American track star who had to give back all her gold metals because of performance enhancing drugs?

No, I disagree that there isn't as much bribery, organized crime, money laundering and outcome manipulation in sports as in politics. The difference is that the outcome of all that crime doesn't usually start wars, cause massive employment layoffs, global warming or food shortages--events that threaten our livelihood.

The worst that happens in sports is that some people win and some people lose the game. In sports news, media have nothing to gain by influencing the broadcasting of sports games. If a sportscaster says something bad about a player, he may not get an interview with that player. So what?

But if a news reporter says something bad about the president, even if it's something the public needs to know, he loses access to the president and places the news agency profitability at risk.

THAT's why the news media is so easily manipulated and we no longer get the facts about the criminal behavior going on in all areas of our goverment leadership.

kr

Answer 2

Well, you may not have taken the best example. ESPN often alters its coverage depending on its programming. For example, Arena Football recently popped up on its schedule. All of a sudden, Arena Football plays are turning up on the night's highlights. NHL hockey disappears, coverage decreases dramatically.

Stats are a little tough to judge in the political arena. Party leaders often dictate stances to Senators and House member for political reasons, perhaps in an attempt to make a bill better in a small area.

That said, there is less bias than people think in the news. If you look carefully, there are many stories that are simply facts. Plus, people have trouble telling the difference between news reporting and commentary.

Humans do carry small biases with them, so no story can be completely objective. But there's some good work going on out there.

Answer 3

You're missing the main factor here, money.  News media are influenced, lobbied, bribed to spread an opinion from corporations and/or politicians. It's that simple.

Sports media doesn't work like that.