PrepTest 121, Section 1, Question 8
Commentator: Most journalists describe their individual political orientations(64 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- AThe individual political(11 more words not shown)
- BMajor media face(3 more words not shown)
- CCurrent journalism does(6 more words not shown)
- DMajor media must(11 more words not shown)
- EIt is often(8 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
A journalist can have political opinions without necessarily putting those opinions into every report. So I'm not ready to accept that liberal journalists automatically mean liberal journalism.
But the commentator makes a stronger claim: there isn't a liberal bias. Rejecting the first person's reasoning wouldn't be enough to establish that. We need the commentator's own support, and here it comes: news outlets want sales and advertising revenue, so they need a broad audience. The argument says that pressure tends to keep their coverage impartial.
I can follow that incentive, but I still have questions. What if an outlet earns more by catering to a particular political audience? What if the journalist's pay stays the same regardless of the owner's profits? Those possibilities show why we shouldn't confuse understanding this argument with proving it right.
What we’re looking for
For the main-conclusion question, identify the claim those financial reasons are supposed to support. It's the commentator's “This is not the case”: current journalism does not have a liberal political bias. The argument takes a definite position; it doesn't stop at saying we are unsure.
Working the answers
- A
This is closer to our initial hesitation than to the commentator's actual conclusion. Saying that journalists' personal views are not acceptable evidence of media bias concerns how to evaluate that evidence. The commentator goes further and says the alleged liberal bias does not exist. We need the position actually asserted, not a more cautious replacement.
- B
Market pressure is part of the support. The commentator uses the pressure to attract customers as a reason to believe that news coverage stays impartial. Ask what that pressure is offered to establish: the absence of the claimed liberal bias.
- CCorrect
This spells out what “This is not the case” denies. The commentator rejects the claim that current journalism has a liberal bias, then supports that rejection with an argument about customers and profits. C identifies that conclusion whether or not we find the financial argument convincing.
- D
Reaching the broadest possible audience is the stated requirement for maximizing profits. That helps explain the market pressure, which in turn supports the claim about impartiality. It is a step in the support, not the final point about liberal bias.
- E
This is the position the commentator introduces and then rejects. Reporting that people often make a claim isn't the same as endorsing it. The commentator's own conclusion comes in the response to that claim.
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