NZ media on reporting US politics

A senior journalist pointed out to me that after the first presidential , Radio reported that Obama's performance in the first debate was “disappointing”.

ABC in Australia used the more accurate and non-partisan description that it was “widely panned” because of course Obama's performance was only disappointing if you were a supporter of his.

Language can be quite powerful, in the way it can reinforce impressions. The journalists who pointed it out to me said he is a believer in not using partisan adjectives in news reports. This is especially the case for state owned .

And we even see this a bit today, with a Stuff story which says “Could really steal the White House from Barack Obama today?” – I don't think the use of language in this (otherwise good) is a huge issue. But I do think that the use of language in reporting can be quite powerful in affecting views.

 

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