There's news for entertainment, and news for making informed decisions. I suppose in a healthy democracy, it would be in the people's best interest to have unbiased and thoroughly investigated the news available so voters can make the best decision for themselves and the country. It wouldn't be profitable so it would have to be publicly funded like PBS News, BBC, CBC. And, well, it was good while it lasted but politicians seem hell bent on demonizing anything for the public good.

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jaredwiener 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

"it would be in the people's best interest" -- the problem is that as we're seeing, people do not seem to agree, at least not when voting with their wallets.

And who determines what is "unbiased?" If I don't match your biases, am I biased?

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morkalork 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Seeking out experts, eye witnesses, and sources of information and reporting on them as plainly and dryly without altering the facts and given statements whether you, your sponsors, the government or audience likes or agrees with them is about as unbiased as one can hope for, no?

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jaredwiener 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Absolutely no.

Even the basic act of deciding which stories to cover can be seen as bias.

Which experts are we seeking out? What are their agendas?

Altering facts and statements is not bias, it is incorrect reporting. Anything reported as factual that is not is wrong, period, full stop.

But framing? You can frame a story any way you see fit.

And as I was trying to get to in the earlier comment, "bias" is in the eye of the beholder. What might be straight down the middle for one reader could be wildly biased to another.

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morkalork 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Ah, I understand. You're on the demonize train.

	▲	jaredwiener 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Not demonizing. Trying to convey that this is a much more complicated subject than you seem to want to admit. Feels like https://xkcd.com/793/

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kansface 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

What is your a priori estimate for the percentage of news that is consumed as entertainment? As in, it does not result in a change of behavior in the consumer beyond engendering neuroticism. I'd put that number at or above 95%. News is gossip wearing a suit.

	▲	mrhottakes 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It seems strange to assume that you can even put a number on it. What's frivolous to you may be extremely important to another person.