Several prominent journalists and professors tackled bias in the media and other issues at a panel discussion Monday evening.
The event -- "Ethics in the Media: Is Impartiality a Pipe Dream?" -- kicked off the University's annual Academic Integrity Week.
As part of the forum, a diverse group of panelists presented their views on the growing concern of objectivity in the press and responded to questions from students.
"The impetus for the media council was to provide a forum to discuss recent criticism of popular media and its bias[es], whatever they may be," said Dennis Tupper, co-chairman of the University Honor Council, which sponsored the panel.
Panel moderator Carolyn Marvin, a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication set the tone of the discussion by presenting several questions -- when is the press serving us well? What responsibilities do readers have when reading a paper? Is the media biased?
The panelists responded with very different answers.
Panel member Lillian Swanson, the readers' advocate at The Philadelphia Inquirer commented that journalists "have a big weapon... and it's very important to use it carefully."
While discussing the possible bias in the media, Communications Professor Larry Gross cited that "objectivity is what the press constantly says it offers."
Another panelist, Daily Pennsylvanian Executive Editor Matthew Mugmon, commented on the uniqueness of the college newspaper experience.
"I'm only 21 and have the opportunity to run a daily newspaper," the College senior said.
Other topics discussed included the debate over whether the coverage of the Middle East crisis was biased, why some newspapers seem to neglect to cover certain issues such as AIDS and homosexuality only to later bombard the public with the very same topics for a period of time, and whether the alleged bias of the media is caused by the pressure of editors, the reporter's own opinions or simply the reader's varying interpretations.
Dan Ackman, a staff editor at Forbes.com, also added insight as to whether major television news networks promote their political bias, referring to the most recent presidential election.
Engineering freshman Adam Franklin said he enjoyed the panel discussion, adding that it "brought to light a lot of the complexities of the media, and showed how people on the inside know what can't and won't be published."
Academic Integrity Week continued last night when famed journalist Bob Woodward spoke at Irvine Auditorium.
Other events planned for the week include a corporate ethics panel in Houston Hall today and a screening of All the President's Men tomorrow in Logan Hall.
Monday's panelists were brought together by the UHC, which sponsors Academic Integrity Week.
