The ethical responsibilities the author has to the reader, is to be knowledgeable about the issue and to be fair. To be knowledgeable about the issue, you have to know both sides of the argument. You have to know what your claim is and all the reasons that could help you support it. You also have to know the rebuttal and all the reasons you could shut down those rebuttals. To be fair, and to improve the ethos, if you show that you understand the other viewpoint, you are more likely to get the reader to listen to your argument with an open mind. If they listen to your argument with an open mind, they are more likely to change their mind and agree with you.
Our media and our government do not often live up to these responsibilities of argument. They are often not fair and don’t present both sides of the issue. They usually just present the one they want people to believe and that’s it. That is a big reason as to why a lot of America is ignorant on political and world issues. They only listen to one thing and just believe it and don’t try to confirm it, or listen to other sides.
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1 comment:
Jordan-
I completely agree with what you have to say about the media living up to these ethical expectations. It rarely happens. There is always a slant to a story, even though they claim they are all “fair and balanced”. They have the ability to change an entire nation’s views on one topic in their tiny little hands. The power has gone to their heads. They now only show the side they agree with and believe in. They don’t care one bit about informing the general public. They just want good ratings and to share their OWN thoughts with the world. IT’s getting out of hand.
It’s unfortunate that ignorance of world issues is the cost of presenting one side to a political story. All of The Big 3 (CBS, NBC, and ABC) do this extensively. It’s disgusting and the main reason why I do not watch the national news. If I want real news with less of a political slant, I turn to Fox News. They are much more credible than the left slanting news reporters on other stations. The ethical responsibilities that the media outlets created when they were first founded are now being completely disregarded and tossed out the window.
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