Biased Television Shows

“The Bias of Language” discusses how language can distort or supplement the truth. Language is naturally infused with emotion, and this emotion is what can harm the veracity of news programs and other such media outlets. Through language, we are able to express “larger abstractions, [such] as truth, honor, love, and falsehood (253).” Using words, we express our lives, struggles, and emotions, as our class has discussed previously. “The Bias of Language” introduces a new aspect of language, in that, through language, we can lie, spin a story, and change opinions. Language can muddle the truth, whether such shaping is unintentional or intentional.
“The Bias of Language” discusses at length how news programs, even “honorable” news shows, present pieces that are biased because of the language used in them. Expressive words, like “shocking,” “captivating,” or “joyous” are typically used to gain attention, but can also reveal opinions. The scene of a crime can be described as “disgusting,” but a better, less opinionated word would be “grim.” When writing pieces, writers are sometimes so attuned to their own thoughts that they mistakenly use words that can interpreted as prejudiced.
As a person interested in journalism, I found “The Bias of Language” interesting. I’ve written news stories and found it difficult to report honestly. Since I have strong opinions, these thoughts tend to leak into pieces I write, even ones that are supposed to be unbiased. When writing the inquiry contract paper that was to present both sides of an issue, my opinion on the topic was clear. For a high school student’s English paper, this is fine, but for national newspapers or broadcasts, something close to the truth should be attempted. How or by what means I do not know, so I guess for now I should be more wary of Katie Couric.