From February 22, 2008: KFAN-AM's Dan Barreiro, former Minneapolis Star Tribune sports writer, expresses his disgust with his former employer's cover for "Alianiss Nunez Morales'" illegal immigrant status.
Without getting into conspiracy theories and media-agenda arguments, Mr. Barreiro points out the current journalists' Achilles' Heels: reporting with built-in damage control, and journalism as an outlet of personal activism rather than the reporting of events, both of which inevitably lead to situations like this. This is an excellent little study of when bias isn't deliberately brought into reporting, but inevitably comes out via misapplied principles and concerns.
However, the newspaper's concern for a public backlash is questionable, as those of us who remember the Rodney King coverage can attest, as just one example. It is also a subtle reversal of accusation, portraying outraged citizens as the real danger, rather than undocumented, untrackable illegals roaming free and doing damage like this.
Tags: dan barreiro kfan alianiss nunez morales media bias reporting illegal immigration aliens
