Dominant Paradigm

[Doug Millison]

That's the advertising slogan of Fox Network, too.

Some problems with this solution to the problem of how
to present "objective news":

There are more than two sides to any story.  Leaving
out other important points of view or angles seriously
undermines any clams of "balanced coverage." 
Presenting only two sides -- point/counterpoint, like
a ping pong game -- is lazy journalism, because events
are always more complex than that.

Who the editor/reporter chooses the represent each of
the two selected "sides" (aka perspectives) also makes
a big difference.  Paul, you may recall, for example,
that CNN story about Pynchon when M&D was published,
the producers chose to interview a geeklike  fanatic
to represent the community of Pynchon readers, a
choice that probably doesn't reflect the diversity of
this community.

Much more could be said about this issue, for those
who are interested.  Folks who are comfortable with
the view of the world that the Times and Post present
probably won't be much interested, it seems.

> "Voice of America may be its name," DeNesnera says
> in an interview, "but we
> also abide by the journalistic ethic of presenting
> both sides of the story
> and let the listener decide."
> 


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