How Journalists Use ‘Science’ in Political Arguments To Advance Their Own Bias

Mediaite Contributing Editor Larry O’Connor recently penned an opinion piece on Mediaite.com. An excerpt of his latest article, How Journalists Use ‘Science’ in Political Arguments To Advance Their Own Bias, is below:

Yesterday I pointed out how Newsweek compared Charles Mansonwith Donald Trump. The Newsweek article seemed like a cheap attempt at clickbait that took advantage of a popular topic in the news Manson and linking it with the most clickable name of the year, Trump.

The article was perfectly poised to accommodate those readers on social media who would love to read a well-written comparison between the two most evil people in American history. And, at the same time, it accommodated what we like to call “hate clicks” from Trump supporters who are so outraged by the comparison that they just have to click that link to see how outrageous it is.

But there is something a little more insidious at play in this article and it illustrates how the media covers issues that generally have a liberal perspective or objective.

The journalist who dreamed up the Manson=Trump article was Melissa Matthews. She’s identified by Newsweek as their “Science Writer” so all of this is presented under the umbrella of Science. And science, as you know, can’t be challenged or questioned or criticized. If you do, you’re labeled a “denier” or a “flat-Earther” or your just plain “anti-science.” [Read More]