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Arguments on media bias
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“73% of all Americans believe that fake and biased news is a major problem in the country today” writes Jeffrey M. Jones and Zacc Ritter. Merriam-Webster defines bias as an inclination of temperament or outlook; especially : a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment : prejudice. News bias and news filtering is a horrible problem in the U.S. and is affecting the way AMericans live their lives and the way they solve problems. Technology has affected news in many different ways both good and bad. Timing has been negatively affected majorly by technology in news today. Technology has now expanded the ways that people hear and see what’s going on in the world around us. This means that people can see the content that they want people to see …show more content…
They have been accused for using filtering and bias to get a certain reaction from receivers. Many major news services such as CBS and Fox news are being attacked for being biased through racism, political opinions and origin. Bill O’Reilly has been called a little bit more than a spokesman for the Republican Party. He is very biased and involved in them. He is the news Commentator for Fox News (Greenblatt). The major industries can influence many people on a major scale. Depending on the news it can go good or bad. Most news platforms use a algorithms for the news to get the reaction they want out of the users (Usher).The manipulation of news can influence the way people feel. So news companies try to filter the news to push our emotions one way or the other (Usher). Many news services are now under fire due to their slant of reporters and the political commentators. There is more distrust now than ever. Experts wonder if Americans can agree about anything due to the distrust and the many different “truths” there are (Greenblatt). News can use keywords or key ideas to filter the real news and what is really happening. News leaves out important words and important little things that happen that make the news the truth to play with the emotions of the receivers of the information(Curle). The negative effects of these fake news stories that spread outweigh
Bias is everywhere in the mainstream media whether it is political, celebrity, or worldwide news. Bias can misinform the public and most of the time leaves the whole story to suit their belief. Bias is when someone is presenting information or talking about a topic but being unfair and not showing the whole side of the story. Media keeps certain information to themselves to not make their belief seem bad but as a good thing. In everyday media there is some form of bias that can be small or big depending on the topic. Of course in today's society it seems that bias is okay and acceptable in the media. However people doing their job are bias and present the information to their beliefs. The public thinks they are getting the truth but media is
“The old argument that the networks and other ‘media elites’ have a liberal bias is so blatantly true that it’s hardly worth discussing anymore…No we don’t sit around in dark corners and plan strategies on how we’re going to slant the news. We don’t have to. It comes naturally to most reporters.” (Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News) This example is tremendously important in the author’s discussion because it proves that news stories do manipulate people through bias. Popular news networks are viewed by thousands of people every single day, thus making it have a huge impact on the public since they believe what they see. When news reporters present their news segments, it is natural for them to give their insights due to human nature being instinctively biased. “The news media is [sic] only objective if they report something you agree with… Then they’re objective. Otherwise they’re biased if you don’t agree, you know.” (CNN’s American Morning) In this quote, the readers are presented to current panelists agreeing that news consumers have a very hard time separating their own view of the news from the perspective of the news reporters because they are presenting their own opinions throughout their segments. This problem exists once again because of the bias that is contained in media
Let’s start by taking a look at the bias side of electronic media. Take for instance the difference between Fox News and CBS. Both are news stations, both are intended to bring us the news, yet the way in which each station presents its stories to their viewers could not be more different. Few would argue the fact that Fox news appeals to the conservative audience while a station such as CBS would tend to be more liberal. This creates bias. To illustrate my point, let us take a look at how these 2 news stations covered the very same story in completely different ways.
...r view. They use “gotcha” journalism to catch your eye by using basis of scandals and innuendos to have the public distrust politicians, government, or even certain corporations. The New York Post is a great example of this one day they are routing for one candidate and the next day routing against them just to sell papers. This is why the news outlets today focus on the use of “gotcha” journalism, because they work together at times directly and indirectly to move the society and politics toward the leftist or rightist political ideology.
Many people believe that liberal media bias is very relevant in this day in age, but really it is just a myth. Conservatives, also known as republicans, tend to forget that most of the American media is influenced heavily by corporate business owners(Schaller 49). Topics such as issues of war and peace, taxes and spending, and government regulation are heavily favorable to the conservatives. A study done by Media Matter for America shows that over sixty percent of U.S. daily newspapers publish conservative journalists rather than liberal(Schaller 49). On the other hand, it is obvious that some hot topics in the news are liberally skewed.
Today it seems almost impossible to get a straightforward answer on any major topic from the media. All sources of media have a specific audience that they are intending to hear or view the information that they have prepared, therefore they will cut bits and pieces out so that only the message they are trying to get across will be received. So indeed there is a media bias, and yes it more often than not slants towards the liberal view point, as many reporters and journalists have liberal views themselves.
One of the major problems in the American media today is non-objective reporting which is also known as bias. This has been a trend since the early 1980?s and is very alarming for American citizens who watch the news for truth and honest reporting. Not only has bias been a problem in the broadcast media of ABC, NBC, and CBS, but it has also been a problem in mainstream newspapers such as The New York Times, The Sun, and The Boston Globe. For years, these media outlets have built their reputations on truth and now the trend is to lean left and not tell the whole story. Evidence of this has become very prominent in war coverage and election bias. Bias in the media is a big issue and causes lots of problems throughout the public such as losing trust in a once great source for news, people going elsewhere for information, being ill-informed, and leading to a low voter turnout.
Paul, Richard, and Linda Elder. How to Detect Media Bias and Propaganda in National and World News. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Criticalthinkingforbusiness.org. Foundation for Critical Thinking, 2006. Web.
The media is often considered to be biased. The reason for this is because they do not act neutral on the things that they report on. They usually give their point of view and tend to warp the information so it’s easily digestible by the average person. This type of “nugget feeding,” can influence the judgment of some one who has no idea what is going on. The media tends to sensationalize the news by making it seem dramatic, and compelling. This hooks the viewer, and keeps them tuned in. The purpose of this is for ratings, and most importantly money. The media has become less professional, and their morality has gone down hill. The editors/gatekeepers decide what information is sent out for the public to see, and hear. This is another way that the news is shaped for our viewing pleasure.
For instance, the online article “Television News: Are we Amusing Ourselves to Death?” by John W. Whitehead, John quoted, “Although the news items spoon-fed to you may have some value, they are primarily a commodity to gather an audience, which will in turn to be sold to advertisers. Most people, believing themselves to be in control of their media consumption, are not really bothered by this. But TV is a two-way attack: it not only delivers programming to your home, it also delivers you (the consumer) to a sponsor”. John’s report demonstrates how companies’ influence has negatively impacted television network by using commercial to gain attention from the viewers to keep consumers glued to the screen. Another form of corporate influence on news network is news network attempting to appease corporate sponsor by not resisting person with dynamism and domination. For example, the article “Democracy Now! Decolonising US News Media” by Kevin Howley, Kevin quoted, “Anxious to avoid antagonizing commercial interests or government news sources, journalists rarely challenge people in positions of power and authority for fear of losing access to “official sources.” Instead, working journalists play it safe by taking a less confrontational stance toward elites, pursuing instead the sensational, the titillating or the trivial news item. Thus, journalists create the illusion of conflict and controversy by covering relatively inconsequential “news items” like celebrity gossip, or the sexual misconduct of politicians, while studiously avoiding substantive public policy issues”. The quote written by Kevin represents how news reporters are forced to appease the sponsor by reporting on emotional news event over significant social issues in order to please the sponsor. As a result, audience only obtains information on minor news, preventing people
Media Awareness Network, "How to Detect Bias in the News." Accessed May 11, 2012. http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/handouts/broadcast_news/bw_bias_in_the_news.cfm.
Newspapers and nightly news shows have become a business. They no longer go by the public services values they once stood by (Sensationalism, 2005). Instead of being the fourth branch of government, they are just like any other money making business. It is no longer a race to put out the truth; it is more a race for dollars and control. Sensationalism is purely fueled by money and popularity. If a news outlet garners a large amount of popularity, they can swing votes, and influence voters. Sensationalism has already affected many political situations. Sensationalism has proven to spread like a virus. If sensationalism is not controlled, there is no way the news outlets can be the advocate for the people.
Media bias is the tendency for the media to represent different people in a particular way based on their own views, the views of their sponsors, and possibly the views of society. Media bias could be blatant, but usually it is subtle. It can be expressed in the content of television shows. It can be expressed in the choices of types of stories that they show on the news. It can be expressed in the language used on shows, and that is written in the newspaper and magazines.
But how can we be sure that the news is not biased? Are we receiving information accurately, with details being simple to understand? After further research on media framing, I’ve come to realize that it is not rare to be someone who is skeptical of the news. In decades before now, media did a better job serving the public interests inside their news stories (Callaghan, 2001, p.186). But now, journalists may mix up facts intentionally and build a different story (Callaghan, 2001, p.184). How can one feel safe after knowing the media changes stories to keep us interested? Boring stories may not keep someone excited or fully interested, but at least people would not be misinformed and can, in a way, better prepare for what they will face outside their
The impact of the internet on journalism is one area that continues to attract the attention of media scholars. The technology has brought forth a set of opportunities and challenges for conventional media (Garrison, 1996). The last ten years have seen a lot of inventions which have greatly altered the way people access and consume news. Audiences have also “developed more sophisticated and specific demands and tastes for news delivery, thanks in part to the explosion of social media and mobile technology.” (Kolodzy 2013)