Bias In The Media Essay

Media has been playing a significant role in our daily lives by developing our personalities, enriching our knowledge and providing us with different sorts of information. It has a tremendous power in framing cultural guidelines and shaping political dissertation. If the information provided to the U.S. citizens is distorted, then they cannot make informed decisions on the matters of public policy. Thus, it becomes vital to the American democracy that the news media and its institutions remain unbiased, fair and accurate. Media bias happens when a media systematically and persistently emphasize one particular point of view that is usually below the standards of professional journalism. There can be various reasons for media bias, some of

One problem that plagues us every day without us even realizing is media bias. We see it in the news, our favorite sitcoms and even in the newspapers. Yet, we really don't recognize it when we hear or see it. Media bias is evident in every aspect of the media. The problem is that we don't recognize it when it's in our faces. Are the impressions that we form about individuals a product of the media? In my opinion, the media plays an important and powerful part in some of our lives. Many people consult their television sets for the news. We form our own opinions on certain issues based on what we've seen, heard, and read in the media. I think that the media's role in political affairs have the power to make or break a

We live in a society in which media has such a great influence on us, yet the influence is only in certain aspects and on certain people. “Mass media is arguably the most influential in molding public consciousness” (562). People might think that media is managed by a combination of different people but in reality, since the number of media companies is decreasing, only certain people control the industry and what gets to be put out to light. Since media is mostly controlled by a few people who belong to the 1%, the information that goes into the media is influenced by their beliefs as well as race, class, and even gender. Media influences every aspect of our lives since “media plays a key role in defining our cultural tastes, helping us locate

“Public opinion is formed and expressed by machinery. The newspapers do an immense amount of thinking for the average man and woman. In fact, they supply them with such a continuous stream of standardized opinion, bourne along upon an equally inexhaustible flood of news and sensation, collected from every part of the world every hour of the day, that there is neither the need nor the leisure for personal reflection. All this is but part of a tremendous educating process. It is an education at once universal and superficial. It produces enormous numbers of standardized citizens, all equipped with regulation opinions, prejudices and sentiments according to their class or party.” – Winston S. Churchill

News media has a largely, overwhelming influence on Americans in this day and age. Over the years, audiences have been exposed to various types of broadcast journalism, each with their own forms of bias to generate attention towards various topics. The audience perceive bias in news media program. An in-depth analysis of bias on opinionated news compared to non-opinionated news is key to figuring out how the news media may be sensationalizing a problem.

One of the biggest arguments against the question of negative media bias is, “is there even media bias at all?” Obviously it’s well known and has already been proven that the media is bias on certain issues, but the more note worthy opposition’s argument is that, is there necessarily a problem with media bias? They argue that the effect of media bias is not inherently bad, since a majority of people are already under the impression that there are pieces of media that favor one side of an issue, the audience should already be aware to filter certain information (DellaVigna, Kaplan). For example, people will view media and understand that there is bias involved, but not necessarily care or pay close attention to it. What this argument means is that if the viewers already know the information could be tainted, than they are less likely to be influenced.

This paragraph will go through if the media are bias and use the example of newspaper endorsements and its effects on voting. According to recent survey data over a half of voters believe that the American media is biased. But another forty percent say that they filter out the media because of how biased it is. Newspapers are driven by an economic motive more than a political motive, which is why it wouldn’t make sense for newspapers to just be biased without any real economic motive. The only real explanation for this is that newspapers are biased only towards what their consumers want to hear, and if consumers hear what they want to hear then they will keep buying the newspaper. Newspaper endorsements are a very popular method by newspapers

The media is lying to our faces while pushing their own opinions onto the groups that they have influence over. This statement might sound insane but an overwhelming number of Americans believe that the media is not being completely honest with the information that they are reporting. Media bias may not seem like a hard-hitting issue but it can become extremely dangerous in the right circumstances. Media bias becomes a dangerous weapon when politicians use it as a tactic to get the upper hand in a situation. Often, this situation involves the presidential elections and other high ranking official elections. In almost every presidential election there are reports where party officials often accuse certain networks of favoritism towards one party

and the ANC (Terblanche, 2016). Bias in the media is the perception that the press is reporting the news in a prejudiced and non objective manner. This falls under one of the three principles of the role of media, honest reporting. According to Windschuttle, the role of the media can be characterised by 3 principles: Honest reporting; Adhering to the ethical obligations that bound them to the listener, viewer and reader; Lastly, commitment to good writing (Windshuttle, 1997). The role of the media is extended to informing the public of what they need to know in order to make decisions. The guard dog theory is a common way to describe the way mass media and journalists support various political views and groups but can also criticise the same groups when they violate the values they promised to adhere to. The theory claims that the idea of the guard dog is found in the middle ground between the ‘lap dog’ and the ‘watch dog’. They are neither entirely subservient to the powerful entities that control them nor completely serve the publics best interests (Akumey-Affizie, 2017) Most of the headlines from The Daily Maverick, The Citizen, The Huffington Post, and Time Live reflected the President and his decision in a negative light, with rare glimpses of positivity from newspapers like The New Age. Media coverage and the way they frame their stories directly affect the opinion and response of the public.

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.

Traditionally, media outlets have been mediums that provide a spinless look into the facts of what takes place in the world. The media will cover a wide range of topics, from politics to government to natural disasters to terrorism. But, especially in recent times, the media has become less of a sphere of objectivity and more of a bubble for surrounding consumers with biased and perspective-based news. There is a degree of bias in most sources of news, whether it is in reporting on terrorist attacks or politics. In order to restore the media’s credibility, they must reform the way they cover news stories.

There are many different hidden truths in the media that people do not know about due to the fact that the media emphasizes on just one particular point of view. Throughout the years, people have been biased in the media and the reason as to why this happens is that people choose to lean on one side such as republican, democrat, libertarian, or conservative. To be biased means to only be on one side of an argument or situation and only favor more of what one person has to say. There are a variety of different news channels in which they all tend to lean more on one side, there is not a single news channel that is on the same side as another. There are many current events that have multiple contentious between other news channels. The viewers

In today’s society, remaining connected and knowledgeable of current events and the newest trends is vital to staying ahead in business, education, and social standing. This information is supplied to everyone through the internet, newspapers, television, and radio. One can tune into stations such as CNN, NBC, Fox News, Al-Jazeera, and many others (“SQs of Media Outlets”). In order to meet the needs of viewers, readers, and listeners, the ideal media system would contain accurate, quick information, with a purely impartial view on the facts as they are known. However, this modern media system has not maintained an objective view, pushing opinionated and slanted reporting onto the population in order to create profit and gain customers. The exploitation of information media for personal gain has created a toxic and inaccurate present, constant in today’s society.

If you have a television and watch your political news programs chances are you are being lied to. The media wants you to hear their “facts”. These “facts” are always skewed to favor their side. They are agenda pushing liars who won’t report the way they are supposed to. With biased and ridiculing media is controlling how you think this is a fact whether the media wants to admit to it or not, they try to control this country. It is destroying this once proud nation. Through bias, unfair, poor journalism the media polarized the nation, they do not do the job they were made to do, and they have produced a bunch of rioting little brats.

Whether it is through a newspaper, television, magazines or talk radio, people will always communicate through some type of medium. Now, whether or not the mediums are tainted with bias is a question of beliefs. Some people argue that journalism today is rather fair and balanced, while others would vehemently oppose that view by saying that bias is definitely prevalent in news media and other mediums today. In some instances, there lies the belief that the fairness doctrine should be reestablished in order to mend the problem of bias; however, many would strenuously fight that by arguing that such an act would destroy the freedom of the press guaranteed under the first amendment. Another argument surrounding this issue is the expectation