Will AI replace journalists? Let’s try it out with a real story that I wrote as a student “journalist,” many years ago. Let’s use that to investigate the hidden biases in AI as it exists today.
I actually wrote this before Uri Berliner wrote his insightful article about human bias at NPR:
An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don’t have an audience that reflects America.
That wouldn’t be a problem for an openly polemical news outlet serving a niche audience. But for NPR, which purports to consider all things, it’s devastating both for its journalism and its business model.
Those same biases infect ChatGPT, and the now-deleted Bard, from Google.
My Brilliant but Short Career in Journalism
When I started at the University of Illinois, I had dreams of working on the school paper, something I’d never done in high school. The Daily Illini (or “the DI” as everyone called it) had a recruiting session for incoming freshman, I went to it, and I was hired!
One of the things they told me right away was that Roger Ebert
had worked on the DI; in fact, he’d been the editor-in-chief. I said, “Who’s Roger Ebert?” He’d graduated and moved on by then.
Even before the Siskel and Ebert TV show, he was locally famous as a movie critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. My bad. I’m so glad I got to tell him that story many years later at a book signing.
I didn’t realize that DI writers were nearly all liberal arts majors who had lots of spare time. There were no Engineering majors like me, because those guys (they were nearly all guys) had no time at all. I didn’t know that I didn’t, either, until I got the midterm grades for my first semester. They actually mailed those to your parents in those days.
Were you imagining I did the adult thing and quit, saying, “I’m sorry, I need to devote more time to my coursework. It’s been fun and I’ve learned a lot, thanks!” ?
Of course not. I was 18 years old. I just quit coming. I hope they were accustomed to that kind of behavior from kids. If not: I’m sorry.
Anyhow, I got to do lots of fun things in my brief career as a journalist:
I typed a story over the phone from Roger Simon, who went on to fame and fortune as a writer for Politico. This was before the Internet, of course. I don’t remember where he was or what the story was about.
I wrote headlines! The main consideration was: will it fit? I needed to fill the available space, but not go over. I had a table of how wide each letter was: “W” and “M” were 2, “i” and “l” were 1/2, and so forth.
But most of all, I had a beat to cover! I actually wrote bylined articles (see below).
The Mean Streets: Champaign
The DI devoted some pages to the local city governments, not just University affairs. I imagine this was not a prestige beat that every student wanted, so a beginning freshman like me still had a shot at it. Champaign was mine!
The Park District
I remember covering a Park Board meeting. If you’ve never gone to one of those: let me tell you, they rank at the very top for high drama. I was on the edge of my seat.
By BOB PURVY
D. F. Bresman , president of the Champaign Park board, announced Tuesday that Mr and Mrs. Stanley Kaufman have donated eight acres of land to the Park District. The land is located along Kaufman’s Clear Lake in the western part of the city, and it is expected that the lake itself will be donated at some future date. The lake could be suitable for swimming, among other things, said Commisioner O . F . Bartholow. He indicated that the land will probably not be developed until the lake is donated. The announcement was made at the park board’s monthly meeting, which was delayed a day so that the news could be released at the meeting. It was also announced that a tract of land along Prospect Avenue at the southern limits of Champaign was acquired by the park board. The land, previously unincorporated, was recently annexed by the City of Champaign.
The new land increases the acreage of the Champaign Park District to 345. This represents a 225 per cent increase in the last five years. New lands are almost always added by donations of private citizens, because the Park District does not have the money to buy land outright. Board President Bresnan said, ”Champaign has less park acreage than most downstate cities of its size . Decature [sic] residents have six times more acreage than Champaign residents for park purposes . The gift is the beginning of the Greenbelt idea proposed by the University in 1965.
As an example of journalistic objectivity, what does ChatGPT say about my work here?
In analyzing the article for journalistic bias, we should consider several factors such as language choices, tone, framing, sources, and omissions.
Language and Tone: The language used in the article seems neutral and straightforward, without obvious loaded terms or emotionally charged language. However, phrases like "The gift is the beginning of the Greenbelt idea proposed by the University in 1965" could be interpreted as subtly promoting the idea, though it's not overtly biased.
The Boys Club
I actually remember nothing about this story, but obviously I did it.
You can read the full text in the Appendix.
AI’s Obsession with “Balance”
Rather than treating AI as some magic Algorithm or Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), let’s just see it for what it is: a product of the biases of its creator. Those same biases led Bard, the defunct Google AI entry, to produce this:
Those Asian women and black men who served in the German Army in 1943 are so under-represented.
A bias towards portraying the donation and conservation efforts positively
Well, duh. Let me see if I can satisfy it and rewrite that (additions in bold):
D. F. Bresman , president of the Champaign Park board, announced Tuesday that the wealthy Mr and Mrs. Stanley Kaufman have donated eight acres of land to the Park District. The land is located along Kaufman’s Clear Lake in the western part of the city, and it is expected that the lake itself will be donated at some future date. The lake could be suitable for swimming, among other things, said Commisioner O . F . Bartholow. He indicated that the land will probably not be developed until the lake is donated. The announcement was made at the park board’s monthly meeting, which was delayed a day so that the news could be released at the meeting. It was also announced that a tract of land along Prospect Avenue at the southern limits of Champaign was acquired by the park board. The land, previously unincorporated, was recently annexed by the City of Champaign.
The new land increases the acreage of the Champaign Park District to 345. This represents a 225 per cent increase in the last five years. New lands are almost always added by donations of private citizens, because the Park District does not have the money to buy land outright. Board President Bresnan said, ”Champaign has less park acreage than most downstate cities of its size . Decature [sic] residents have six times more acreage than Champaign residents for park purposes . The gift is the beginning of the controversial Greenbelt idea proposed by the University in 1965, although some say there has been little follow-through on this.
Rats! Now I’ve made it even worse:
In this article, there are several elements that could indicate potential journalistic bias:
Language and Tone: The language used, particularly in describing the donors as "wealthy," may imply a certain level of privilege associated with their donation. This could subtly influence readers' perceptions of the Kaufmans and their motivations for donating the land.
Framing: The article frames the donation of land by the Kaufmans as a positive development for the Champaign Park District, highlighting the increase in acreage and the potential benefits of acquiring land along Clear Lake. However, the mention of the controversial nature of the Greenbelt idea proposed by the University in 1965 introduces a hint of skepticism or criticism towards the broader initiative, which may not fully align with the overall positive tone of the article.
Sources: The primary source cited in the article is D. F. Bresman, president of the Champaign Park board. While Bresman provides valuable information about the donation and its significance, it's important to consider potential biases associated with his role as a representative of the Park District.
Omissions: One potential omission is the absence of perspectives from individuals or groups who may have concerns or criticisms about the acquisition of land by the Park District or the broader Greenbelt initiative. Including such perspectives could provide a more balanced understanding of the implications and challenges associated with these developments.
Overall, while the article presents the donation of land by the Kaufmans in a generally positive light, there are elements that could indicate potential bias, particularly in the framing and language choices. To provide a more comprehensive and balanced view, the article could benefit from including a wider range of perspectives and addressing potential criticisms or concerns.
So I asked it: can you rewrite this to be fair and unbiased? It did.
D. F. Bresman, president of the Champaign Park board, announced Tuesday that Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Kaufman have generously donated eight acres of land to the Park District. The land, situated along Kaufman’s Clear Lake in the western part of the city, is expected to enhance the park district's recreational offerings. Commissioner O. F. Bartholow remarked that the donation includes a lake that could potentially be utilized for swimming and other activities. It was also announced at the park board’s monthly meeting that a tract of land along Prospect Avenue at the southern limits of Champaign was acquired by the park board. This land, previously unincorporated, was recently annexed by the City of Champaign.
The addition of the donated land increases the acreage of the Champaign Park District to 345, marking a significant expansion over the last five years. It's worth noting that new lands are often acquired through donations from private citizens due to financial constraints faced by the Park District in outright land purchases.
Board President Bresnan emphasized the importance of the donation, highlighting that Champaign lags behind other downstate cities of similar size in terms of park acreage. He referenced Decatur residents having significantly more park acreage, underscoring the need for such contributions to bolster the local park system.
Additionally, the donation is viewed as a step towards the implementation of the Greenbelt idea proposed by the University in 1965. However, there are differing opinions on the progress made towards this initiative, with some suggesting there has been limited follow-through.
Overall, the donation of land by the Kaufmans and the acquisition along Prospect Avenue represent positive developments for the Champaign Park District, providing opportunities for expanded recreational activities and potentially contributing to the realization of longstanding community initiatives.
I don’t recall who at the DI, if anyone, edited my article, but I’d hope he would have cut the bold parts, maybe asking, “Who the hell asked you to evaluate this donation? Or the University’s Greenbelt idea? And who cares about people’s ‘perspectives’ on it? Just write the facts, little freshman person.” It was fine the way I had it.
Not All “Journalists” Buy Into This
The Stanford Daily published a debate on this. Here are some highlights:
Wesley Lowery, who has served as a national correspondent for the Washington Post, has been a prominent voice in the moral clarity versus objectivity debate.
Lowery wrote in a tweet, “American view-from-nowhere, “objectivity”-obsessed, both-sides journalism is a failed experiment…The old way must go. We need to rebuild our industry as one that operates from a place of moral clarity.”
Naturally, the New York Times weighed in as well. An excerpt:
“We focus on fairness and fact-checking and accuracy, and we don’t try to suggest to our students that opinions they have should be hidden ,” said Sarah Bartlett, the dean of the City University of New York Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. “We embrace transparency.”
Steve Coll, her counterpart at Columbia, who announced on Thursday that he was stepping down in June after nine years as dean, said that Columbia Journalism School tries to teach fairness and intellectual honesty — adding that the old way of thinking has morphed into something new. “The church is gone, and there’s no orthodoxy left,” he said. “There’s many journalisms, and that’s kind of liberating.”
What utter crap. “Moral clarity” means “my opinion is better than yours.” And yes, your opinion should be hidden.
Maybe We Have Our Answer
Gallup tells us that trust in the media is near an all-time low.
This viewpoint that denigrates objectivity as “bothsidesism” is completely an elite belief. The public doesn’t share it.
A little more than half of the journalists surveyed (55%) say that every side does not always deserve equal coverage in the news. By contrast, 22% of Americans overall say the same, whereas about three-quarters (76%) say journalists should always strive to give all sides equal coverage
But…
Did I just contradict myself? I and my editor rejected the notion that this land donation should be examined for “both sides” i.e.
Maybe it was not a good thing?
Maybe the University’s “greenbelt” idea wasn’t being implemented?
Unfortunately, journalism is not mathematics and there are establishment beliefs, “donating land to the public is good” being one of them. Some issues do have two sides (minorities’ treatment by the police, the Vietnam War’s justification) and there is a need to present both. Others do not, and the reading public isn’t normally interested in the writer inventing one.
Opinions Belong on the Op-Ed or Editorial Page
There are publications that make no pretense of being “fair,” like Mother Jones or National Review. Assuming you’re not at one of those, and you work for a general-audience media outlet, like the New York Times, or NPR: your obligation is to report the facts, unless the story is clearly labelled as “Analysis” or appears in the Commentary sections. If that view seems outdated or old school: too bad. The public’s rendered its verdict on the new “many journalisms”, “opinion in your face” style.
Appendix: Full Text of the Boys Club Story
C-U Operates Boys Club
Members Use Gym , Library
By BOB PURVY Daily Illini Staff Writer
A Boys Club now is operating in Champaign-Urbana for the first time. Located at 201 E . Park St., Champaign, in what formerly was a church, it has been open since Sept. 21 and now has a membership of 180 boys.
About 60 boys attend the center daily, David Lawrence, executive director, said. The club has a gymnasium, game room, library, woodshop, arts and crafts laboratory, and a small radio station for the use of its members. Much of the equipment still is being installed, although the center already is in use.
The club has two full-time professionals supervising activities. Volunteer workers from the community and from Volunteer Illini Projects and paid part-time workers in the college work-study program also help staff the club. Because of its location in Champaign’s near North End 80 per cent of the members are black Lawrence stressed that every effort is being made to maintain and, if possible, increase the number of white youths .
Bus cards are provided for boys living a considerable distance away, enabling them to ride the buses free of charge. The directors hope an integrated group will create a more healthy atmosphere. A more healthy atmosphere is one of the principal aims of the program. Lawrence said the club will work closely with the families, schools and churches. Parental consent is requested before a boy can join the Boys Club. Parents are notified when they can expect their boy home and boys are required to leave at what the supervisor feels is a reasonable hour.
Lawrence said he doesn’t let the boys do whatever they want while at the club, but rather plans recreation for them. In this way he hopes to provide more balanced and beneficial activities for the boys.
Tutors also are available for boys who have difficulty in school. The Boys Club however, by no means is a counselling office, Lawrence said. The majority of boys need no help from the staff , and come just for the fun of it . He hopes these boys will help the members who do need it .
WPGU
Radio station WPGU located on the University campus, this week donated more than 500 records to the Champaign-Urbana Boys Club. The records, provided by WPGU through Music Director Rick Sallinger, will be used in conjunction with the club radio station. One of the newest ideas attempted at any boys club in the nation, the station is piped throughout the building and eventually will broadcast outside by way of external speakers.
Under direction of UI math major Denny Werner, the station BCCU ( Boys Club of ChampaignUrbana), is used as a training ground for those interested in radio-tv. Programming consists of a variety of music and athletic events.
Executive Director Dave Lawrence pointed out that since opening only last September the club must depend on the services of existing community functions such as WPGU. The club has a current enrollment of approximately 200 members with an average of four to six members joining each week. BCCU is located at the Champaign-Urbana Boys Club at 201 E . Park St., Champaign, and serves the community’s predominantly Negro North End although membership is not limited by race.
I wrote one article for the Buzz section of the DI in 2002. I reviewed the pilot, or one of the first episodes of the NBC drama "American Dreams", mentioned in it that it wasn't "Roseanne", and the whole Buzz team got fired, including me (although the editor said it was unrelated). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dreams I got the job because my brother, a super senior, knew a guy who worked there.
I saw Roger Ebert at Ebertfest 2005 when Junebug screened. I volunteered as the AV crew in the basement where the CCTV monitors were. Ebert walked through the basement/took a shortcut to get to the other side of the theatre and the crew all waved/said hello. He waved back without turning his head. I got to watch the movie in the auditorium after my shift was complete. He made a playful gesture of his hands (to everyone) when he was on stage.