RE: Is Unbiased Journalism Still Possible?
my interest in staying ba-khabar (well-informed)
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as being well-informed if one only watches the news and relies on it.
Fellini even said that television is a wonderful invention, but it is not used in the right way (and not for good purposes). I realized this during the last turbulent years, when there was a lot of turmoil in the country after the health crisis entered in 2020.
Once I believed the mainstream television, it was so impactful, so logical in its correctness, but it turned out to be such a well-crafted plan, such a well-designed propaganda. A second time I fell into this trap, such well-presented propaganda used for political purposes. After these incidents, no subsequent viewing of the news can be the same as before.
Watching the news with skepticism, constantly asking questions, considering what exactly the author wanted to say, why he said it, and who ordered it to be said, makes you learn much more than just watching the news. And it's reassuring when you see this in the news of another country. But it's sad when you notice this in the news of your own country. Because there is no unbiased journalism! In any country. A famous Bulgarian journalist and TV host was killed in a terribly illogical accident during the pandemic because he publicly expressed an opinion against the mainstream. Then I found out that in France during the pandemic there were many such cases with famous journalists. Some simply disappeared. I mean, there are no unbiased, thoughtful, and critical journalists left. They all perform tasks and serve someone. Their reports are not even distorted by their own human nature and personal opinion. They are carefully constructed and stitched together to fulfill the given task. The rest of the journalists just disappear. That's the sad truth.
Oh yes,
TV definitely isn’t the right medium for educational or well-informed content. No.
But at the same time, there’s no other way to stay updated about the current situation… a source of being informed moment by moment. Even though there really isn’t a need for updates every single second.
But I guess this too is a kind of addiction. Isn’t it?
Skepticism while watching the news is the only way to actually learn something. Otherwise, we just end up consuming pre-stitched narratives. And yes, when this manipulation happens in your own country, it hurts even more because it feels like a betrayal. :((((
My attitude towards life in and for Germany will therefore never be the same as it once was. (But I must admit, I was also quite naive...)
One of my naive assumptions was to hope for so-called “plurality of opinion” within the media landscape: what one viewpoint considers too far left is balanced out by another on the right, and I can essentially interpolate the middle and thus the truth.
Getting multiple perspectives is good and important, but it is by no means a stable foundation and therefore not a viable basis for the goal of being “properly” informed.
Mein Lebensgefühl in und für Deutschland wird deshalb nie mehr so sein, wie es einmal war. (Aber ich muss zugeben, ich war ja auch ziemlich naiv...)
Eine der Naivitäten bestand darin, auf die sogenannte 'Pluralität der Meinungen' innerhalb der Medienlandschaft zu hoffen: was der eine Standpunkt zu weit links ist, gleicht der andere rechts aus, und ich kann mir die Mitte und damit die Wahrheit quasi interpolieren.
Mehrere Perspektiven zu bekommen, ist gut und wichtig, aber es ist in keiner Hinsicht eine stabile Grundlage und daher kein tragfähiger Boden für das Ziel, 'richtig' informiert zu sein.