Bias in Balanced Media In mainstream American media, we as viewers have given the mass media expectations to meet in order to satisfy our demands. Specifically when it comes to television news, newspapers or any other journalistic product, we want certain ideals to be expressed in their works. One of these ideals is the balance of these newsgroups. We expect them to be non-partisan and neutral, providing equal coverage to both sides without having any form of bias towards one end. The other ideal is to lead people towards the path of "enlightenment". We expect the media to be the knights against the powerful, to support the weak and lead them to the truth. However, problems arise when trying to put these two ideals into practice together. The problem is that this is essentially a cover-up for journalists, where we as viewers are shown to expect these ideals, but the journalist can still take a stand without literally stating it. When the news media tries to live up to one or both of these ideals, it no longer becomes the neutral figure or news leader the public can trust. The result is a distorted perspective or misleading information production. The media's attempt to implement these two ideal outcomes results in what Ross Douthat calls "bipartisan thinking." “[...] journalists fetishize centrism and agreements, and assume that the best possible legislation, regardless of its actual content [...]” (Douthat 86). Two-party thinking is the idea that a journalist takes the best arguments or agreements from party sides to appear neutral and informative. They prove themselves equal by showing both sides and, by accepting the compromise of the two, they show their side of progress towards a better future. However these two ideals... at the center of the card... would be considered taking sides. However, when they try to lead the viewer towards this "enlightenment", they no longer remain non-partisan. However, I believe that remaining neutral is the ultimate goal that the media should try to achieve. The reason is that trying to stay neutral provides both sides of the story rather than just one. It brings both audiences together and is able to inform both sides equally about their opponents' arguments. Instead of isolating the viewer into one ideology, they can open their eyes and mind to other ideas to expand the viewer's knowledge. While ideal neutrality is unlikely to be achieved, the effort to provide for and recognize the other side shows greater concern overall. With enlightenment, it narrows the thinking of individuals. Neutrality is the best way to inform, whether slightly biased or not.