Media Bias In Social Media

Thesis: Dissemination of news through social media allows for rapid distribution and incredible accessibility, but can lead to decreased understanding, stifled discussion, and even the propagation of fake news stories.

During this week I investigated many different news sources and different tactics they use. My research has shown the incredibly strong bias that the media has. To get a full grasp of the biases I had to use source diversity. My sources ranged from social media, to television, to web-based articles. Through my research, I discovered the effective and prevalent uses of loaded language, social media, sensationalism, bias in quotes, and the role of gatekeepers in media.

Media bias has a tendency of expressing and showing what they want the viewer to focus on. Many online sources show what they want to be covered and how it should be covered. Every channel station cover the same topic but in their own point of view. Fox, Abc and CNN all state the same story but covered differently. In Fox News, Abby Wambach, retired soccer star, arrested for a DUI in Oregon. Abby Wambach was under the influence of alcohol. In Fox news it covers that Abby missed a red light and failed sobriety test and even the breath test.It also states when she retired and how long she has played and how she stated a statement on Facebook stating an apology. Abby was arrested by Sgt. Peter Simpson in Oregon. In Abc news, Abby was arrested

While definitions of journalism are varied, fluid, and constantly evolving to better reflect contemporary values and attitudes, a broad consensus that journalism should hold up a proverbial mirror and reflect society has endured. However, given journalism does not operate in a vacuum independent of society, but rather actively participates in, influences, and is influenced by, social, cultural, and hegemonic norms, this can seem like a paradoxical objective, especially when striving for pragmatic and unbiased reporting. Thus, Evans (2002, p.311) argues that, even when ostensibly challenging hegemonic structures and cultural archetypes, major media organisations are impeded precisely because they are confined to operate within this system. He

I have a social media presence, therefore, I am an informed member of society. I read about the upcoming presidential election, thanks to my friends who clutter my Facebook newsfeed with articles about their preferred candidate. I scroll past graphic photos of scenes in Charlotte, North Carolina on Twitter. The news about Angelina and Brad Pitt’s divorce filled my email inbox to the brim.

Many people believe that if it is on the internet, then it must be true and for this reason, the media utilizes this train of thought as a way to manipulate how individuals purchase products, view people, and vote for candidates. Internet bloggers and the news media often have biases that distorts news broadcasts and cyber posts as well as allow a platform for absolute deceit. While this practice is more proliferated in cyberspace, it mimics yellow journalism in the 1800’s that help publishers attract large audiences and increase advertising revenues.

It is no mystery that the media has much influence in constructing social norms and shaping political dissertations. The expeditious growth in the media, during the previous years, has meant that individuals are able to get many distinct perspectives on the news and with all these opinions thrown at the audience, it is safe to believe that it aids the public to create their own opinions. But is it? Is the media even trying to be informative to the public anymore? It doesn’t seem so. People rely on all media sources to report factual information which helps the public obtain a much different understanding of what’s going on in the world. Except in today’s era, most of the information is altered to fit a desired narrative. Their widespread exposure empowers them to convey their notions to the public, regardless of the public's awareness. In my analysis on the bias in mainstream media, I strongly believe that it is almost impossible to get a sincere nor forthright answer on any important topic, because the media seems to target a specific audience with expectations of creating an imbalance in dispersing information, sustaining rivalries, maximizing profits and increasing racial tension.

The use of “fake news” has been rapidly increasing over the past several years, as politics have been the forefront of discussion. Millions of Americans use Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to view current news updates which can be considered a “recipe for disaster”. Retrieving the credibility of information on social media is progressively more difficult due to the increase of news sources. In addition, news has been turned into a parody for several imitators of “journalists”, including Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report. Fake news is a problem in American journalism as social media spreads fake news rapidly and imitators of "journalists" do not abide by the moral obligations that real journalists follow. To further support how fake news is problematic in today’s American journalism, I will briefly define fake news and how it has rapidly spread through social media. Then through extensive research, I will discuss how social media and imitators of journalists exploit real news, which can have a negative impact on today’s society.

In today’s society, technology and social media allow widespread dissemination of information at a much faster pace than conventional media. A prevalent issue regarding technology is its effect on the extent of the influence of political events. The media has been vital in bringing awareness to political events, but it has also contributed to the spread of misleading information. In a society where the media has such an effect, it is essential to question whether or not social media should be regulated in order to avoid the spread of misinformation in society.

In the 2016 election the questions of the mainstream media and their potential biases and allegiances were brought up. In the election cycle, many media institutions refused or give emphasis to stories that would hurt their favored candidate's chances of winning the election. Questions about the validity of certain claims media institutions were making or even how reliable, they were at portraying information were brought up. Media biases are potential shifts towards one side of a political argument done by a member of the mainstream press (Daxter). Media bias does not include very opinionated pieces where the purpose is clear, but rather biases in tone when delivering the news (Ferdan). Media bias can also include subtle positioning that portrays a candidate as favorable/unfavorable depending on way of their presentation. Media bias occurs in tone of delivering the news rather an outright statement. Government regulation often known as “big government” is when the government attempts to regulate a medium or principle. Although media bias has the potential to perpetuate a false narrative that can influence many voters, should not be regulated by the government because of the media’s lack of influence and the constitutional right to the media’s freedom of speech.

The media has been used, over the past years, to pass on information to the general public, as well as to educate the public about developmental issues. The agenda setting theory of mass media postulates that media gives the people what to think about, and influences how they think about it. One of the phenomenal issues that has been greatly affected by media is the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood controversy.

Everyone has a bias, which is good. Everyone is entitled to think what they want. However, it is not good for our media outlets to have bias when they are suppose to be the ones who inform the public on recent issues. News is suppose to be trustworthy non partisan information, instead it is just platforms for political parties and other groups to push their policies and further their agendas. A recent example would be the Texas church shooting. Fox News, Chicago Tribune and NYTimes are all good examples. They all covered the same exact story, but portrayed it in different lights. Media bias is most explicit in a article's headline, word choice and imagery.

Dick Cheney once said “I do find that the mainstream media oftentimes is what I would consider off base or has a bias” and that is because there is a bias. Having a bias in social media is not a good thing because it affects the quality of journalism and the audience’s views on politics. No matter how much people complain about a bias in our society it is not going to change any time soon. The best thing that the public can do is educate themselves on the social media that agrees with their views and morals. Two of the top media services, National Public Radio and Fox News, both on very different ends of the political spectrum but both have a very big impact.

In the modern world, technology plays a larger role than ever in influencing all types of people. Furthermore, the media is also one of the biggest influencers on the internet from the news, to fashion, to anything that will make them money. News companies are also the most important opinion makers because of their impact on important topics like major elections in North America such as U.S.A’s Presidential election and Canada’s Prime Minister election. Major news companies have also been known to have a bias towards major political figures either Republican/Right Side or Democratic/Left Side. Major news companies like Fox News and MSNBC are the most popular news stations in the United States and by them being biased they strongly sway the way people vote and as a result, inexperienced people try to become a political leader are elected and cause major economic problems for their country. News companies have an influential role with how they represent political figures and they should remain unbiased in order to show a fair representation of political figures.

Around the United States the instantly recognizable sound of a Donald Trump tweet rings on millions of phones. The owners of those phones glance down to read a strongly opinionated statement on former presidents. Consequently, this situation can only escalate, as the president's every word should be highly regarded. If the most influential person in the country says something incredibly bias others will be bound to follow. While Donald Trump may not have been the initial spark towards the bias revolution, his constant tweets are feeding the flame. However, he is not the only one expressing his opinions as it is the fifteen year old girl complaining about a teacher, a 24 year old female posting about not being able to find a job like her male companion, or a newspaper only interviewing white males on a subject such as racial discrimination. There are numerous causes to this increasingly biased culture, but most precedent are people's backgrounds, the growing dependence on mass media, and politics.