[Neurons] 2019 Neurons #6 BIASES ALIVE!

[Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

2019 Neurons #6

January 24, 2019

 

BIASES ALIVE!

The Media's Need for a Cognitive Make-Over

 

 

Two new reports this past week - each one provide a vivid demonstration that
News Media bias is full alive and thriving.  Both are examples of news
reports which, in the end, turned out to be fake news.  In each case,
information was taken out of context and whenever that happens- information
taken out of context is pretext.

 

The first was the Buzzfeed report announcing that the President directed his
lawyer Michael Cohen to lie.  When some unnamed person leaked that, the new
media went crazy presenting it over and over using it to call for
impeachment (that seemed to be their desired agenda).  Of course, no
information was given as to when or where or any detail about such.  Then in
a very rare move, Mueller's Special Counsel (from whom the alleged
allegations were leaked) immediately sent out a special message saying that
that report was not accurate.

"BuzzFeed's description of specific statements to the Special Counsel's
Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this
office, regarding Michael Cohen's Congressional testimony are not accurate."

                                          

The news was fake.  While almost every news organization ran with it and
treated it as real, none could corroborate it.  So when there was no
corroborating evidence, most news outlets dropped the story.  I don't recall
that anyone apologized for jumping the gun or presenting false information.
It was as if they got a tidbit that they thought they could blow up into a
devastating story against the President only to later find out it that they
did not.  Just today I heard National Public Radio report about it again.
They said that Mueller's office of the special counsel said that "disagreed
with some elements of the article."  Yet that's pretty sloppy reporting
given that's not what Mueller said.  He said the testimony was not accurate.

 

The second report was about the video that went viral over the weekend at
the Lincoln Monument.  Some young teenagers were in Washington DC for the
March for Life and were encountered by some other groups.  When someone from
the news media got a picture of one young man (Nick Sandmann) face to face
with an American Indian (Nathan Phillips) who was beating a drum- his
conclusion was "This is disrespect."  And it went viral.  Then it became a
case of racism!

 

But yet again, the news media jumped the gun.  Fortunately there were videos
of the entire incident and it so happened that the young man did not
confront, intimidate, or even approach the native American.  It was the
other way around.  The man beating the drum was the person who walked toward
the young men.  And instead of the teenagers from the Covington Catholic
High School calling names and insulting, it was the other groups, the Black
Hebrew Israelites group who were cussing and yelling.  All the young man
Nick Sandman did was stand still and smile.  He said in an interview that he
figured if he was calm, smiling and not reacting at all, it would calm
things.  The initial story was unquestionably debunked by the evidence of
the full video.  There you can see the native American approaching the group
of boys.

 

Biases prevent thinking.  When you have pre-judged a person or situation-
you jump the gun and react.  You don't patiently gather facts first and face
them whether you like them or not.  IN bais people adjust facts to fit their
biases.  News people should think- facts first, evidence first, then
conclusions.   But all too often they put their opinions first and then
doctor the facts to make it look like the case.

 

Second, after the evidence of the facts came in- the Media people for the
most part have refused to apologize for their initial attacks.  They not
only did not apologize, but they refuse to.  Apparently they have an agenda,
and their agenda thinking (to wit, prejudice) trumps the facts.  So they are
not thinking- they are propagandizing with their broadcasts and newspaper
reports.

 

Now at least one CNN report kind of apologized.  CNN's S.E. Cupp wrote that
she wished she had the fuller picture before weighing in.  Yes, really!
That would be nice to slow down the reactionary response and think first.
Apparently, some critics have quietly deleted their criticism from social
media without offering an explanation or apology.  Others instead of
thinking, have kept on trying to defend their rush to judgment instead of
simply admitting they over-reached and over-reacted.

 

I think it's time that the News Media outlets get a Cognitive Make-Over- the
way they are currently so quick to jump to conclusions, over-exaggerate
anything that they can frame as dramatic, presently highly biased reports,
and not accept responsibility is a big source of cultural semantic
pathology.

 


 

 

 

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D., Executive Director 

Neuro-Semantics 

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO. 81520 USA                             

               1 970-523-7877 

                    Dr. Hall's email:
<mailto:meta at acsol.net\hich\af31506\dbch\af31505\loch\f31506> meta at acsol.net


    cid:261CED33-4408-4124-862B-B9A4B37A367A

    

 

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