Confession: I’m Biased, You’re Biased, We’re All Biased
Look, let’s just get this out of the way right now. I’m biased. Shocking, right? Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: “But you’re a journalist! You’re supposed to be objective!” Well, buckle up, because I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. Objectivity is a myth.
I’ve been editing news for 22 years, and I’ve seen it all. The thing is, when I started back in ’99 at the Austin Chronicle, I actually believed in that whole “just the facts” thing. I thought if I just worked harder than everyone else, I could be fair. I could be neutral. I could be the damn news robot everyone wants us to be.
Then, about three months into my career, I interviewed this guy—let’s call him Marcus—for a story on local housing policies. He was this real estate developer, all slicked back hair and expensive suit. He told me, “The market will correct itself. We just need to be patient.” And I wrote that down like it was gospel. I mean, he was an expert, right?
But then I talked to Maria, this single mom who was about to be evicted from her apartment because the rent had gone up $200. She said, “The market ain’t correctin’ itself for me, that’s for damn sure.” And suddenly, I realized something important. Facts alone don’t tell the whole story. They never do.
Why We Can’t Help but Be Biased
Here’s the thing about bias: it’s not always a bad thing. It’s what makes us human. It’s what makes us care. The problem is when we pretend it’s not there. When we act like our personal experiences, our backgrounds, our beliefs don’t shape the way we see the world.
Take my friend Dave, for example. He’s a colleague I worked with at the Houston Post. Dave’s this real straight-laced guy, always talking about “the rules” and “the process.” One time, we were covering a protest, and he kept saying, “We can’t just take their side. We have to be fair.” And I said, “Dave, whose side are we on if we’re not on the side of the people who are getting screwed over?”
I mean, honestly, sometimes you just gotta pick a side. And that’s okay. Because news isn’t about being neutral. It’s about being honest.
But Wait, There’s More: The Algorithms Are Biased Too
So here’s where it gets really messy. It’s not just us humans who are biased. The algorithms are too. You know, those little black boxes that decide what news we see, what stories get amplified, what gets buried. They’re biased as hell.
I read this study—okay, fine, I skimmed it—about how social media algorithms favor sensationalist content. It’s why you see so much outrage and so little nuance. The algorithms don’t care about the truth. They care about engagement. And engagement, as it turns out, is a lot easier to get with a good old-fashioned outrage fest.
And don’t even get me started on the education news policy changes that are making things worse. I mean, come on. Who thought it was a good idea to let algorithms decide what our kids learn about the news?
A Quick Tangent: The Time I Got in Trouble
So, back in 2007, I wrote this piece about a local politician who was, let’s just say, not the most ethical guy. I mean, the guy was a walking conflict of interest. And I wrote about it. I wrote about it in detail. I wrote about it with gusto.
And then my editor at the time, let’s call him Greg, pulled me into his office and said, “You can’t say that. We need to be objective.” And I said, “Greg, the guy’s a crook. How is it objective to not say that?”
Long story short, I got a warning. And Greg got promoted. And the politician? He’s still in office. But hey, at least we’re objective, right?
The Bottom Line: We’re All in This Together
Look, I’m not saying we should all just throw in the towel and embrace our biases. What I’m saying is that we need to be honest about them. We need to acknowledge that our perspectives shape the way we see the world. And we need to be okay with that.
Because at the end of the day, news isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being real. It’s about being human. And humans? We’re messy. We’re flawed. And we’re biased as hell.
So let’s embrace that. Let’s be honest about our biases. Let’s be honest about our mistakes. And let’s try to do better. Because the world needs more honesty, more transparency, more real talk. And it needs it now.
And with that, I’m gonna go have a drink. Because writing about bias is exhausting.
Author Bio: Jane Doe is a senior magazine editor with over 20 years of experience in the news industry. She’s worked at various publications, including the Austin Chronicle and the Houston Post, and has a reputation for being blunt, opinionated, and unafraid to call out bullshit. When she’s not editing, you can find her arguing about politics, drinking craft beer, or yelling at her TV during the news.
