Can Providing Balance be Unfair?
Lesson 6:4
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You've probably come to the conclusion that while balance is something to certainly strive for, it can be very difficult to look objectively at everything -- we are humans after all.
Here's a clip from CNN Special Correspondent Christiane Amanpour from her talk at Stony Brook University in February of 2013 about the difficulty of maintaining balance when reporting in a Bosnian war zone in the 1990's.
Amanpour - Moral EquivalencyCut.mp4As she explains, as a reporter, you fight to maintain balance, but you can't equate an aggressor with the victim.
Would a “balanced” news report about the Bosnian Civil War give equal time to people who say reports of ethnic cleansing and military rape are all myths? That both sides are engaged in an immoral war? Would that be balanced? Would that be fair or unfair? To whom?
In a case like this, a precisely measured “balance” could be inaccurate, giving undue weight to falsehood or unsupported assertions.
The takeaway here is that balance is needed if there is an element of the story that is unknown, developing, or disputed.
The takeaway here is that balance is needed if there is an element of the story that is unknown, developing, or disputed.
If the evidence however, is overwhelming -- the presence of balance can create a false equivalency of both sides of an issue.
If the evidence however, is overwhelming -- the presence of balance can create a false equivalency of both sides of an issue.
Here's another vivid example about that false equivalency in arguments on climate change, in this clip 2015 from John Oliver on the HBO program Last Week Tonight.
(Warning: There is some strong language used in the commentary that sets up this clip's argument. If you'd like, you can skip to the 2 minute mark to still get the point without the cursing.)
Climate Change Debate_ Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) [720p].mp4Page updated
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