Taxes can be a contentious issue in America, especially in this economy. On tax day last week, hundreds of thousands of people across the country protested at gatherings called “tea parties” to voice their opposition against what they view as wasteful government spending. The parties got their name from the infamous Boston Tea Party when colonists protested the British government by tossing taxed tea into the Boston Harbor.
It’s no secret that the news media love a controversial issue, so their coverage of the tax day tea parties is not surprising. But many are asking if cable news shows took things too far in their coverage of the 2009 tea parties by inserting their opinion in the story. Was coverage of the tea parties fair and balanced? And should news anchors ever share their opinion on the air?
In a New York Times article on the subject, David Carr describes a CNN anchor covering a tax protest in Chicago shaking her finger at protesters and shouting at them. Carr also shares these quotes from a Fox News reporter inviting viewers to a protest: “Bring your kids and experience history,” and “our kids are being sold into slavery.”
These examples of opinions being inserted into the story by news anchors are far from objective journalism. And while this can add color to the story and engage some viewers, it detracts from the standard of objective news that many stations try hard to uphold.
There is a place for partisan journalism when it is labeled as such, but general news broadcasts should remain objective. Viewers trust their news sources to be objective and their confidence is shaken when reporters take sides.
Did coverage of the tea parties ruin public trust in the objectivity of some news stations? Probably not, because these reports were one-time occurrences rather than examples of a larger trend. But the public outcry over how some stations covered the tea parties should serve as a warning of the damage done when news broadcasts are not objective.