It is said that the BBC in regard the news has the populace in a stranglehold.
One might even argue that there is somewhat of a fasictic element as they are the only source of the news in the UK, of cour therese are many alternatives but none that measure up to Aunty BBC.
The BBC is said to be impartial. Now Ideally, impartiality should be absolute—no greater weight whatsoever may be given to the interests of any party. In our less than perfect world,(the BBC) however, we can also speak of impartiality as a matter of degree.
But herein lies the problem impartiality must be a matter of degree. Let us imagine there is an ideal observer/spectator,
A person/computer who by way of a combination of the detached position from which they view a conflict and the use of techniques designed to shield them from possible sources of bias,
Firth is correct in his argument that the morally right course of action in any given situation is the one which would be approved of by an ideal observer. Such being is omniscient (with full knowledge of both all things past and all things future), “omnipercipient” (with perfect powers of imagination), perfectly disinterested, perfectly rational, and (now for the punchline) “in other respects…normal” (Firth 1952, 344). In order for Firth’s analysis of moral rightness to be action-guiding, we must now imagine our way into the perspective of his ideal observer, and figure out what this impossible creature would and would not approve of. Given that the ideal observer is so radically unlike any of us, and that there is nothing even approximating an actual ideal observer available for consultation, Ronald Dworkin (2002) imagines castaways dividing up the resources on a desert island, while Bruce Ackerman (1981) describes the crew of a spaceship drawing up principles of justice to govern their colonization of an uninhabited planet.
Think the American Constitution, and its imperfections.
There can be no perfect balance.
However Through a combination of the detached position from which they view a conflict and the use of techniques designed to shield them from possible sources of bias, the BBC may reach a very high degree of natural impartiality. Even if we can never be certain that a natural impartiality is absolute, it seems reasonable to suppose that, at least in some situations, it would be sufficient to render judgments quite fair indeed,
One might even argue that there is somewhat of a fasictic element as they are the only source of the news in the UK, of cour therese are many alternatives but none that measure up to Aunty BBC.
The BBC is said to be impartial. Now Ideally, impartiality should be absolute—no greater weight whatsoever may be given to the interests of any party. In our less than perfect world,(the BBC) however, we can also speak of impartiality as a matter of degree.
But herein lies the problem impartiality must be a matter of degree. Let us imagine there is an ideal observer/spectator,
A person/computer who by way of a combination of the detached position from which they view a conflict and the use of techniques designed to shield them from possible sources of bias,
Firth is correct in his argument that the morally right course of action in any given situation is the one which would be approved of by an ideal observer. Such being is omniscient (with full knowledge of both all things past and all things future), “omnipercipient” (with perfect powers of imagination), perfectly disinterested, perfectly rational, and (now for the punchline) “in other respects…normal” (Firth 1952, 344). In order for Firth’s analysis of moral rightness to be action-guiding, we must now imagine our way into the perspective of his ideal observer, and figure out what this impossible creature would and would not approve of. Given that the ideal observer is so radically unlike any of us, and that there is nothing even approximating an actual ideal observer available for consultation, Ronald Dworkin (2002) imagines castaways dividing up the resources on a desert island, while Bruce Ackerman (1981) describes the crew of a spaceship drawing up principles of justice to govern their colonization of an uninhabited planet.
Think the American Constitution, and its imperfections.
There can be no perfect balance.
However Through a combination of the detached position from which they view a conflict and the use of techniques designed to shield them from possible sources of bias, the BBC may reach a very high degree of natural impartiality. Even if we can never be certain that a natural impartiality is absolute, it seems reasonable to suppose that, at least in some situations, it would be sufficient to render judgments quite fair indeed,
No comments:
Post a Comment