Political Bias In The Media

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

The media is an extremely powerful source in society today. Surprisingly, many are unaware of this and choose to believe everything they read in magazines, newspapers and online without actually understanding where this information is coming from. This is a monumental problem in our generation today because like Malcolm X said, the media has the power to make the innocent look guilty and the guilty look innocent. In other words, the media has the power to manipulate our views and perspectives on controversial issues to persuade us to believe their

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

It is important that news broadcasting networks do not let personal bias effect the story that’s being told to its audience. People who watch the news, opinions are heavily influenced by the information given to them. Viewers think their opinion is original but are unaware that the information they receive is biased and is meant to influence and form their opinions about a certain topic or argument. Many believe that the news is unbiased and factual because journalist or experts are providing them with evidence.When, in fact, these news outlets are filled with producers, reporters, and writers, who share the same viewpoints. This is groupthink and groupthink is very prominent in news broadcasting networks. Groupthink is when a group of people who share the same ideologies make decisions as a group. In an interview with Fox Business’s John Stossel, Bernie Goldberg explains that groupthink effects the viewer because like-minded people at news networks only show the audience one-side of an argument or story because of their personal opinions on a the topic. This means that news

The media is powerful. It shapes the minds of millions of Americans. Our position in the world allows our media to not only shape the perceptions of Americans, but the world at large. Whether listening to the radio, going to the movies or turning on your television, your brain is being feed a diet of what to wear, what to buy and more importantly, how to think, how to think about others. Media shapes our perceptions of different races, sex and religions.

“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

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.

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.

Since the ability to communicate was invented, conservatives have always argued that there is a liberal bias in the media; whereas the liberals have argued that the conservatives have used the media to control people with fear and create a division in the public. Let’s first look at what is a liberal and conservative. As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a liberal is defined as “believing that government should be active in supporting social and political change” and “not opposed to new ideas or ways of behaving that are not traditional or widely accepted;” whereas a conservative is defined as “believing in the value of established and traditional practices in politics and society” and “not liking or accepting changes or new ideas”

Plaguing over 310 million Americans with an STD so horrifying, it is everywhere - nearly every news channel, nearly every newspaper, and nearly every news websites gives it to the people. This STD is one that has grown to the government, grown to the politics and grown to the society of our county. This STD is softness, transience and distortion within the media in our country. Every single American is prone to this sickening disease. By softening the news, breaking stories in a transient time without full accuracy and distorting the meaning of stories the news has made the American people a recipient of an STD.

Lack of media influence in present-day democracies makes accountability and openness virtually impossible. Nevertheless, the media is a powerful tool that can be used to either support or hinder political transparency. Can we, as Americans, really believe the media? If so, how can we find clarity on what’s true and what’s not? In most cases, the media tends to translate coverage of politics and law into forms of entertainment for the American people (London, 2015). However, the media also acts a powerful informant of the country’s political issues and status. Consequently, this triggers a great dilemma among the American people as to whether or not to believe the media. As a result, it is a major challenge among the citizens to differentiate

Today's media has displayed countless ways they show media bias. Many channels have depicted a different side to one story and base information on a political party in which the channel supports. Each news source has one goal, and that is to state what will make the chosen party to have a good platform for the public to see. In the series of events that have occurred recently one can see how different news sources have pushed for what each channel believes is the main point needed to be crossed and have shared beliefs in either a liberal or conservative way.

When you think of politics today in America, what is the first thing that pops into your head? If you’re like me, your first thought was about Hilary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump. Your second thought might be about the major hot button issues in the United States today, such as Health Care, Immigration Reform, and Gun Control. Whether you’re like me or not, I’ve noticed one thing during this presidential race that cannot be avoided: media biases. The media today is a major part of politics, and often times is who we look to when deciding what candidate we want to vote for. Media biases involving politics, in my opinion, should not exist because it is unethical.

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.

     The media provides the public political issues, which sets the agenda for political discussion. In theory the media tries to attune themselves to the interest of the public, but “in most instances the media severs as conduits for agenda-setting efforts by competing groups and forces” (Ginsberg, Lowi & Weir, 1999, p. 298). To gain public support, groups and forces need media coverage to promote their ideas. However, the media has great control over which issues they televise. The issues must have media appeal or be considered newsworthy.