By: Leroy Sievers
Executive Producer
"Nightline" Office
Washington, D.C.
Media bias. Those two words have, in recent years, come to be inseparable.
It's a sore subject for us. We think we try, and generally succeed, in
keeping our own personal feelings or beliefs from affecting our coverage.
Granted, that's a goal, something that we don't always achieve. But it's
frustrating that so many people keep using those two little words
together: "media bias."
For those of you who did not see last night's "Nightline," as I wrote in
yesterday's e-mail, Ted interviewed four Democratic Congressmen, and two
Republicans. This was a conscious decision. Again, as I wrote yesterday,
it's our belief that the Republicans are all pretty much on the same page,
they are united behind George W. Bush. The Democrats, on the other hand,
have to decide how long they will support Al Gore's efforts, before they
decide, in their own minds, that it's time to give up, or that public
opinion grows so strong in that direction that they have to make the
political decision to urge the vice president to concede. Therefore, it is
the Democrats that are in play, and therefore they are the ones we should
spend the most time with.
We thought this was a fairly obvious, and easy decision to make. This in
no way meant that we were somehow biased towards the Democrats. So of
course we received a whole lot of e-mail accusing us of, of course, media
bias. Now, to be honest, we receive e-mails charging us with a whole list
of things every day. My rule of thumb is that as long as we get e-mails
from both sides, that both sides in a dispute are accusing us of bias,
then we're probably doing a pretty good job of being fair. If only one
side is upset, then we may have something to worry about.
But then I always think back to one particular e-mail. The day after we
did a whole show about George W.Bush's arrest for drunk driving, one
person wrote in to complain that we had devoted a whole show to Bush, and
that was unfair to Vice-President Gore. I think it is a safe bet that the
vice president was very happy to have not been included in that show.
But in all seriousness, I worry about this a lot, not because I think we
are biased, but because I think it is one more bit of evidence of just how
polarized this country has become. The depth of anger over the reporting
of things that may not be positive about one side or the other is very
troubling. Speaking for the messengers, we're a little tired of being shot
at.
Having said that, tonight we'll be doing a piece about the P.R. campaign
by Al Gore. He made an address Monday night, a press conference yesterday,
the "Today" show this morning, and is expected to be on all three evening
news shows tonight. Ted will also be interviewing a number of foreign
correspondents to get their take on this story that has consumed this
country for the last three weeks. And of course, we're keeping an eye on
all the lawsuits down in Florida, at last count more than 40, and if there
are major developments, we'll report on them as well.
As I read over what I wrote above, I sound a little defensive, and maybe I
am. But it is something that we think about every day, in every decision
we make. When I first got into this business, polls showed that the public
had very high confidence in the media. These days, I think we're down near
Congress in the polls. I'd love to know how we can rebuild that respect.
Any suggestions?
Wednesday, November 29, 2000
Leroy Sievers
Executive Producer
"Nightline" Office
Washington, D.C.
listeditor@abcnews.go.com (This address was the only one provided. I do not know if it goes to Mr. Sievers.)
All smilies in these stories are my little commentary.
