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Viewpoints for and against gun control
What role does bias play in the media today
Viewpoints for and against gun control
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Abanob Gress
American Government
Prof Margot Blowlby
10/04/2015
Gun owners frequently assert that the press in the United States is biased in favor of gun control. Media bias has affects most of our decisions, especially when it comes to gun control. While it is easy for critics of the media to point out inaccuracies in individual stories, proving more systematic bias is difficult perhaps a program such as CBS 's "The Guns of Autumn" was slanted. But, it might be argued, CBS 's coverage of animal rights activists is just as distorted as its coverage of hunters.. Media bias and propaganda are clearly detectable to those who are highly educated and mentally aware of media’s influence between us, but for most, media bias has a significant role in our daily life decisions.
In many cases, the pro-control and anti-control surveys were clearly displayable. The Caddell study was conducted by Cambridge Survey Reports, a liberal polling institution headed by Pat Caddell. The survey was sponsored the Center for the Study of and Prevention of Handgun Violence an ancestor of America 's leading anti-gun lobby, Handgun Control. The survey was used by its anti-gun sponsors to support their arguments regarding gun control. The Center released its results on the 10th anniversary of Robert Kennedy 's assassination. On the other hand, parts of the study involved marketing research for anti-gun media campaigns, such as testing which spokesperson for gun control would be most effective “the conservative majority struck down laws in Washington, D.C., and Chicago that effectively banned civilian ownership of handguns “Gun control and the constitution” (Barret). Moreover, the pro-gun polls were conducted by Decision-Making Information, a conservative poll...
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...the press treated the two stories quite differently.
In general, close analysis of coverage of the two polls indicates that many people of the American print media are biased in favor of gun control, so much so that they distorted stories on the subject of public opinion polling of gun control attitudes, the next logical step is to what motives the media might have had for its slanted coverage of the public opinion poll.
Work Cited
Barrett, Paul M. “Gun Control and the Constitution: Should We Amend the Second Amendment?” Bloomberg Business Week. Bloomberg, 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 13 Jul 2014.
Rosie, Dickens. “Gun control and media bias: pro-gun control a media analyst for “MediaWatch” published by the Media Research Center, in Alexandria, Va.
Alec, Torres. “A Hunter On Gun Control: 'We Want Something To Change” New York Daily News, Wachentong D.C, Sebtanmber 17, 2013
"The Controversy of Gun Control." Open Discussion about Various Controversies. N.p.. Web. 3 Dec 2013. .
Guns have possessed the spotlight of almost every news station. From the latest tragedy of a shooting killing innocent men, women and children to the arguments centering around if our gun laws possess strict enough qualities to keep our country safe. Charles C. W. Cooke, the author of “Gun-Control Dishonesty”, spreads his conservative view on the topic by ripping away any hope for a brighter day. Cooke’s main idea states that if nothing has happened to make gun law more strict even after the lives of innocent children were mercilessly ripped away from their young bodies than nothing should or could ever change. On the other hand, Adam Gopnik wrote his article, “Shooting”, uses a more liberal approach and inspires his audience to act upon the much needed change in our society
Fields, Gary. "New Washington Gun Rules Shift Constitutional Debate." Wall Street Journal. 17 May. 2010: A. 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
Lee, Robert W. "A Liberal Look at Gun Control" The New American 15 (1999): 39-41
“Gun Control Reform.” Issues & Controversies. Facts On File New Services, 28 Feb. 2011.Web Oct. 2013.
In this article the author Fawn Johnson gives us a brief look of what goes on during the great gun control debate. This article gives us a look at the gun control proposals, from American’s not bein...
Yiotis, Gayle, and Ray Wisher. "Moms, Cops, & Voters against Gun Control." EBSCO.com. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept.-Oct. 1999.
The ease of obtaining a firearm in America fosters crime and a dangerous environment. Hence, the Second Amendment should be reinterpreted so that stricter gun laws can be implemented because modern citizens do not require guns, current background checks are flawed, gun accessibility has been abused by foreign and domestic criminals, and Americans cannot handle guns responsibly.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Wilson, H. (2007). Guns, gun control, and elections. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, hunt for food and engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control is complex. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution. In this climate of growing violence, rife with turmoil and crime, gun advocates feel more than ever that their position is justified. As citizens of the “Land of the Free” possessing a gun is a fundamental right, and may even be a necessity... Anti- gun lobbyists point to the same growing violence and gun related crimes in an effort to call on the government to take action. By enacting more laws and stricter control, these people not in favor of guns feel society would be better safer.
An estimated 30,000 people are killed each year by guns in the United States alone according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Gun Control, Funk & Wagnall’s). Though there have been some restrictions and laws placed, both the conservative and liberal sides are not pleased with either the lack of action or the fact that there has been too much action that has taken place. “About 38% of U.S. households and 26% of individuals owned at least one gun, with about half of the individuals having 4 or more guns, according to a 2004 survey by the Harvard School of Public Health (Gun Control, Funk & Wagnall’s).” Both sides turn to the one document centered on the argument for evidence to support their side: the Second Amendment.
Adams, Bob. "Gun Control Debate." CQ Researcher 12 Nov. 2004: 949-72. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Time after time, public opinion polls have shown that crime and violence are among the most important concerns troubling Americans, if not the most important. But do these concerns translate to changes in public support for federal gun control measures? I will focus on public attitudes toward gun control over both the short and longer terms.
McClurg, Andrew J. Gun Control and Gun Rights: A Reader and Guide. New York: New York UP, 2002. Print.
The elimination of media bias is pretty much impossible due to the fact that large corporations head the media, and the heads of most large corporations are white men, but by the implementation of certain strategies it would be a move in the right direction. Media bias is a problem, though it may not be blatant, it is serious because it could be helping to form people?s beliefs about others. People are scared of the unknown, and by giving them a certain portrayal of someone they have had no interaction with; it can have detrimental effects. Who knows actually what impact media bias has had on the nation as a whole. How do we know whether or not media bias has made an individual not get or even lose a job? How do we know how many friendships media bias has stopped from even being initiated? Hopefully one day we will be able to recognize what media bias is, only then will we be able to begin the process of fighting to put an end to it. Only then will we be able to create a fair, unbiased media that is diverse and one that encompasses the ideas of an ideal media.