The Perceptions of Media Bias

Saunders

Saunders

Heisman Trophy Winner
We've seen numerous examples that both of the major Nebraska newspapers have a tilt to their coverage of Nebraska athletics. The Lincoln Journal Star has a reputation of have a pro-athletic department bias, while the Omaha World-Herald seems to have a growing perception just the opposite way. Some fans see it even more clearly and distinctly than others. Certainly the World-Herald publishes more critical commentary than the Journal Star...but is one necessarily better than the other? Depends on your perception...

 

http://www.cornnation.com/2012/8/24/3263086/the-perceptions-of-media-bias

 
In-state papers and media outlets should be at least a little biased towards the home team. I don't think they should be blind sycophants but the Omaha World Herald seems to me like they go out of their way to be antagonistic.

 
'SkersRule said:
In-state papers and media outlets should be at least a little biased towards the home team. I don't think they should be blind sycophants but the Omaha World Herald seems to me like they go out of their way to be antagonistic.
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:yeah

 
I'm not in Nebraska so the only 'newspaper' coverage I see is on the internet. From what I read online, I am not impressed with the OWH. If I want to hear what Nebraska critics have to say, I'll log on to espn. When I log on to a Nebraska paper, I WANT to hear some home-town bias. I want to feel like I am hearing a journalistic take from a fellow husker fan. Hell, out here in California there are plenty of places I can go to hear about what's wrong with the huskers...I don't need that out of Nebraska.

 
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This is why it's so important to always get your news from more than one source.

I found it interesting that Kevin Kugler was almost banned by Steve Pederson for being overly critical of the Husker program. I only heard about/started listening to Unsportsmanlike Conduct in 2008, so I don't know what the show was like pre-Pelini, but I've always found Kevin Kugler to have reasonable, fact-based opinions, and I almost always find myself agreeing with him. He's a UNL graduate and, despite his background, considerably more objective than other broadcasters who graduated from the college they cover on a day-to-day basis.

Lastly, this is Lincoln and Omaha we're talking about. There's room for honest criticism at any time, but they also have to be aware of their readership. People don't want to see completely objective coverage if they're from Nebraska - they want to see that slight bias. I know I always have, and I have no problem with it. Nationally recognized broadcasting companies are the ones who need to strive for objectivity, more-so than the local ones.

 
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Enhance89 said:
This is why it's so important to always get your news from more than one source.

I found it interesting that Kevin Kugler was almost banned by Steve Pederson for being overly critical of the Husker program. I only heard about/started listening to Unsportsmanlike Conduct in 2008, so I don't know what the show was like pre-Pelini, but I've always found Kevin Kugler to have reasonable, fact-based opinions, and I almost always find myself agreeing with him. He's a UNL graduate and, despite his background, considerably more objective than other broadcasters who graduated from the college they cover on a day-to-day basis.

Lastly, this is Lincoln and Omaha we're talking about. There's room for honest criticism at any time, but they also have to be aware of their readership. People don't want to see completely objective coverage if they're from Nebraska - they want to see that slight bias. I know I always have, and I have no problem with it. Nationally recognized broadcasting companies are the ones who need to strive for objectivity, more-so than the local ones.
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+1 and if you read my above post you will see that it is not only people from Nebraska who want a little bias in their Nebraska based media :power GO BIG RED!!!!

 
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When it comes to OWH, I enjoy Shatel's work. I dont get the negative and antagonistic tone from him as I do the other 3 goons. He just seems to be more factual. I really like reading Sipple. I also like listening to him on radio to. And he's in Lincoln, so he's probably more in the know than anyone. Dirk's a dope, as well as Mckewon and Barf.

As far as bias goes, I do think writers of OWH are in a bit of a hot place. Omaha does have 2 other div 1 athletic programs of their own as well as numerous Iowa fans in their immediate clientel. So I'm sure they feel they have to play it closer to the middle, or even to the negative side regarding Nebraska.

Lastly, it is important to have some positive bias as a media outlet towards your hometown for national perception reasons. How does it look as a big picture if your own media out doesnt openly support you? I'm one of them "i dont care what others think" types, but I also understand that this is how the world is, as much as it sickens me.

 
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accountability said:
When it comes to OWH, I enjoy Shatel's work. I dont get the negative and antagonistic tone from him as I do the other 3 goons. He just seems to be more factual. I really like reading Sipple. I also like listening to him on radio to. And he's in Lincoln, so he's probably more in the know than anyone. Dirk's a dope, as well as Mckewon and Barf.

As far as bias goes, I do think writers of OWH are in a bit of a hot place. Omaha does have 2 other div 1 athletic programs of their own as well as numerous Iowa fans in their immediate clientel. So I'm sure they feel they have to play it closer to the middle, or even to the negative side regarding Nebraska.

Lastly, it is important to have some positive bias as a media outlet towards your hometown for national perception reasons. How does it look as a big picture if your own media out doesnt openly support you? I'm one of them "i dont care what others think" types, but I also understand that this is how the world is, as much as it sickens me.
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Soooooo, at the risk of sounding insensitive, bigoted, and Cornhusker-centric....I don't really give a crap about the "2 other div 1 athletic programs..." and "Iowa fans..." And accountability, just to be clear, the attitude in my post here is not directed at you....just my opionion of OWH's belief that they should be anything other than biased toward Nebraska. But then again, what do I care...I pretty much just stick with LJS. But it is good to hear the take you folks from Nebraska have on the local media there.

 
California Husker said:
I'm not in Nebraska so the only 'newspaper' coverage I see is on the internet. From what I read online, I am not impressed with the OWH. If I want to hear what Nebraska critics have to say, I'll log on to espn. When I log on to a Nebraska paper, I WANT to hear some home-town bias. I want to feel like I am hearing a journalistic take from a fellow husker fan. Hell, out here in California there are plenty of places I can go to hear about what's wrong with the huskers...I don't need that out of Nebraska.
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So you would rather be lied too? I think the Journal Star, and OWH both do a fine job, and I appreciate the honesty/critique that the OWH offers it's readers. McKewon, Chatlein, Nawyata (?), and Shatel all do a fine job in my opinion.... A lot of Nebraska fans don't want to hear the truth, and I think that the OWH offers alot of harsh truth in their stories. Having said that, I do get annoyed with some of their opinions, but a lot of times its because I don't want to accept the "truth" or the perception of the "truth"....

 
accountability said:
When it comes to OWH, I enjoy Shatel's work. I dont get the negative and antagonistic tone from him as I do the other 3 goons. He just seems to be more factual. I really like reading Sipple. I also like listening to him on radio to. And he's in Lincoln, so he's probably more in the know than anyone. Dirk's a dope, as well as Mckewon and Barf.

As far as bias goes, I do think writers of OWH are in a bit of a hot place. Omaha does have 2 other div 1 athletic programs of their own as well as numerous Iowa fans in their immediate clientel. So I'm sure they feel they have to play it closer to the middle, or even to the negative side regarding Nebraska.

Lastly, it is important to have some positive bias as a media outlet towards your hometown for national perception reasons. How does it look as a big picture if your own media out doesnt openly support you? I'm one of them "i dont care what others think" types, but I also understand that this is how the world is, as much as it sickens me.
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How are Dirk, and McKewon "dopes"? Just curious.... Especially McKewon, he seems to have a very knowledgable, and fair opinion of the state of Nebraska football.....

 
Rollin said:
California Husker said:
I'm not in Nebraska so the only 'newspaper' coverage I see is on the internet. From what I read online, I am not impressed with the OWH. If I want to hear what Nebraska critics have to say, I'll log on to espn. When I log on to a Nebraska paper, I WANT to hear some home-town bias. I want to feel like I am hearing a journalistic take from a fellow husker fan. Hell, out here in California there are plenty of places I can go to hear about what's wrong with the huskers...I don't need that out of Nebraska.
Click to expand...
So you would rather be lied too? I think the Journal Star, and OWH both do a fine job, and I appreciate the honesty/critique that the OWH offers it's readers. McKewon, Chatlein, Nawyata (?), and Shatel all do a fine job in my opinion.... A lot of Nebraska fans don't want to hear the truth, and I think that the OWH offers alot of harsh truth in their stories. Having said that, I do get annoyed with some of their opinions, but a lot of times its because I don't want to accept the "truth" or the perception of the "truth"....
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Well sure if you accept that the only "truth" is in what they say.

 
'SkersRule said:
Rollin said:
California Husker said:
I'm not in Nebraska so the only 'newspaper' coverage I see is on the internet. From what I read online, I am not impressed with the OWH. If I want to hear what Nebraska critics have to say, I'll log on to espn. When I log on to a Nebraska paper, I WANT to hear some home-town bias. I want to feel like I am hearing a journalistic take from a fellow husker fan. Hell, out here in California there are plenty of places I can go to hear about what's wrong with the huskers...I don't need that out of Nebraska.
Click to expand...
So you would rather be lied too? I think the Journal Star, and OWH both do a fine job, and I appreciate the honesty/critique that the OWH offers it's readers. McKewon, Chatlein, Nawyata (?), and Shatel all do a fine job in my opinion.... A lot of Nebraska fans don't want to hear the truth, and I think that the OWH offers alot of harsh truth in their stories. Having said that, I do get annoyed with some of their opinions, but a lot of times its because I don't want to accept the "truth" or the perception of the "truth"....
Click to expand...
Well sure if you accept that the only "truth" is in what they say.
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That is why I put (" ") around truth.... I think most Nebraska fans have a hard time handling an opinion that is even the slightest critical of Nebraska football. I would imagine that Chatlein, and McKewon's opinions are well informed, and well thought out.... Most Nebraska fans want rainbow, and kitten reporting, or so it seems....

l.jpg


 
Well I don't know what "most" Nebraska fans want because I'm only one and I only know about five others. However, those I know want nothing to do with rainbows or kittens (meaning blind sycophantism) so I'm not real sure where you're getting the "most" notion from.

 
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'SkersRule said:
Well I don't know what "most" Nebraska fans want because I'm only one and I only know about five others. However, those I know want nothing to do with rainbows or kittens (meaning blind sycophantism) so I'm not real sure where you're getting the "most" notion from.
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Read this board.... Where do you think the dislike for the OWH writers comes from? Is what Dirk, or McKewon writing really that absurd? No, they just tend to say things that people do not want to hear. That's all I am saying, and its certainly not just limited to Nebraska fans. I guess my point is, the OWH writers make a lot of sense to me (aside from Barf)....

 
I can't put the World Herald completely at fault for their antagonizing writing at times. This is Nebraska... Are they being antagonistic, or are we used to being mediocre? With that said, I'm not particularly a fan of Dirk Chatelain... The guy comes off like he has a right of passage to say what he wants about Nebraska football at any given time. I doubt he's played a down of football.

 
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