CounterSpin
Encyclopedia
CounterSpin is a weekly, half-hour radio
program produced by the progressive media watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
. It is hosted by Janine Jackson
, Steve Rendall, and Peter Hart, and describes itself as offering "a critical examination of the major stories every week (that) exposes what the mainstream media
might have missed in their own coverage."
The show format consists of a "look back at the weekly news" that examines a set of the week's headline stories and their treatment in the press, followed by one or two segments that focus on particular subjects in depth. These segments often use interviews with the subjects of the news themselves, reporters who have covered the news and/or scholars in media/journalism.
CounterSpin lists their common subjects as biased
and inaccurate news; censored stories; sexism
, racism
and homophobia
in the news; the power of corporate
influence; gaffes and goofs by leading TV pundits
; TV news' narrowing of the political spectrum
; and attacks on free speech.
CounterSpin also presents and examines studies on the media, including those conducted by FAIR. Media bias
data examined in these studies is often interpreted by CounterSpin to show a mainstream media
slant towards conservative
and/or corporate interests.
Broadcasts are conducted nationwide in the United States
and Canada
on over 150 radio stations and are available in MP3
and RealAudio
format on the web.
The name "CounterSpin" was originally used for a FAIR fax sheet on election coverage edited by Jim Naureckas
.
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
program produced by the progressive media watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting is a progressive media criticism organization based in New York City, founded in 1986.FAIR describes itself on its website as "the national media watch group" and defines its mission as working to "invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity...
. It is hosted by Janine Jackson
Janine Jackson
Janine Jackson is the program director of FAIR , and the co-host and co-producer of FAIR's syndicated radio show CounterSpin --a weekly program of media criticism airing on more than 150 stations around the country.Jackson graduated with a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and has an M.A...
, Steve Rendall, and Peter Hart, and describes itself as offering "a critical examination of the major stories every week (that) exposes what the mainstream media
Mainstream media
Mainstream media are those media disseminated via the largest distribution channels, which therefore represent what the majority of media consumers are likely to encounter...
might have missed in their own coverage."
The show format consists of a "look back at the weekly news" that examines a set of the week's headline stories and their treatment in the press, followed by one or two segments that focus on particular subjects in depth. These segments often use interviews with the subjects of the news themselves, reporters who have covered the news and/or scholars in media/journalism.
CounterSpin lists their common subjects as biased
Media bias
Media bias refers to the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the...
and inaccurate news; censored stories; sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
in the news; the power of corporate
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
influence; gaffes and goofs by leading TV pundits
Pundit (politics)
A pundit is someone who offers to mass media his or her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area on which they are knowledgeable. The term has been increasingly applied to popular media personalities...
; TV news' narrowing of the political spectrum
Political spectrum
A political spectrum is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizing independent political dimensions....
; and attacks on free speech.
CounterSpin also presents and examines studies on the media, including those conducted by FAIR. Media bias
Media bias
Media bias refers to the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the...
data examined in these studies is often interpreted by CounterSpin to show a mainstream media
Mainstream media
Mainstream media are those media disseminated via the largest distribution channels, which therefore represent what the majority of media consumers are likely to encounter...
slant towards conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
and/or corporate interests.
Broadcasts are conducted nationwide in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on over 150 radio stations and are available in MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
and RealAudio
RealAudio
RealAudio is a proprietary audio format developed by RealNetworks and first released in April 1995. It uses a variety of audio codecs, ranging from low-bitrate formats that can be used over dialup modems, to high-fidelity formats for music. It can also be used as a streaming audio format, that is...
format on the web.
The name "CounterSpin" was originally used for a FAIR fax sheet on election coverage edited by Jim Naureckas
Jim Naureckas
Jim Naureckas is the editor of Extra!, the magazine of FAIR .He graduated from Stanford University in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in political science...
.