Survey: Most Journalists Accused of Bias in Last Year

Imagine that.

From EditorPublisher.com:

More than half of newspaper journalists in a recent survey believe an unethical or unprofessional incident occurred in their newsroom within the past five years, while seven out of 10 said they had been accused of bias in the past 12 months, according to a study released today by the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

But at least 70% of those polled more often pointed to "factors beyond their control" as the cause of such poor ethical perceptions, rather than their own newspapers' actions.

More than 30% of respondents, meanwhile, noted problems with sources -- anonymous or not -- providing misleading or inaccurate information, with the same percentage seeking legal advice on such stories.

In a nutshell, accusations of bias are usually the result of poor editing by some other person. Lack of public confidence in journalists is directly attributed to unethical behavior by other people.

It appears that most of the journalists surveyed believe that everything is okay where they work. Blame for bias and newsroom mistakes always rests with somebody else. Remember, these were journalists who were surveyed and they generally explained that all the problems of the profession are caused by other folks, not themselves.

Imagine that.