Writing Style and it's Effect on the Media

In order to demonstrate the effect that writing-style can have on the media and the way stories are portrayed, I thought it would be helpful to focus on a topic that is being discussed throughout the media today.

Carrie Prejean, the runner-up in the recent Miss USA Pageant, caused quite a stir when answering a question concerning gay marriage. When Prejean announced to the world on live television that gay marriage was not something she supported or believed in, the public was quick to pick her answer apart through the media. Reports and blogs filled the internet, debating whether or not the contestant’s politically incorrect answer was acceptable.

A story reporting the situation on NBC’s San Diego web page came across as very bias. NBC has been accused many times in the past of having a liberal bias and it seems to reflect in their piece on Prejean’s situation. In the article (which shows its opinion in the title alone) titled “Miss Cali: Pretty Until She Opens Her Mouth”, the NBC reporter writes, in almost a blog style, about negative aspects of Prejean’s answer. Reading the article made Prejean come across as a very ignorant person, leading people who have only heard this side of the story to believe it to be true; especially considering there were no other facts or opinions available. Giving the public only one view on a story makes it hard for people to form their own opinion. Because of this bias, the story, although well written, fails to follow the Murrow standard. Being that this article was published in California, a state with one of the highest homosexual populations, I believe that their reader’s reactions are likely to support this kind of article and its opinion. By emphasizing the negative aspects of the situation and failing to establish all sides of the story, NBC produced a very biased article.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/entertainment/Miss-Cali-Pretty-Till-She-Opens-Her-Mouth.html

Another story covering the same situation had a different approach in sharing their information. FOX news, which has ironically been accused of having a conservative bias in the past, produced a much more fair and balanced version of the story. The article begins by explaining the situation and follows with in-depth views from both the supporting and opposing side. FOX, especially in this article, lived up to their claim of being “fair and balanced” by reporting exactly so. By hearing both perspectives on the story, instead of just one, it gives readers the chance to form their own opinion. Articles and sites, such as this one, succeed by following the Murrow standard. Although the writer most likely holds their own opinion on the situation, they are sure not to make it come across as bias in their writing. This website is very well-known in the news media, and that may be a reflection of the way their writing style established all sides of the story.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517215,00.html

Although I do not agree with the views of Carrie Prejean, I do agree with the way the supposedly “conservative” site (FOX) reports their media; traditionally. Readers should not feel the need to question or challenge their news, and having both sides of the story available makes it much easier not to do so. This comparison between the two articles demonstrates the power and effect that writing style has on media. By following a traditional style and avoiding skewed opinions, news becomes more credible.