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 of journalists to be as objective to each issue as possible. Contrary to this, people argue that it isn’t possible to be completely objective. Many arguments surround the issue of media bias. Today, many argue for the return and enforcement of the Fairness Doctrine. The doctrine was established in 1934. It required that anyone who had a broadcasting license had to present both sides of an issue. Broadcasters, however, had the opportunity to decide how long they would cover the “other side” (“The Broadcasting Fairness Doctrine” 3). Dave Johnson, a columnist for the Huffington Post, argued back in 2009, for the revival of the fairness doctrine. In his column, he writes that the fairness doctrine would reintroduce the idea that the public owns the resources of the country, the laws, and has the power to tell corporations what to do instead of them telling the public what to do (Johnson Par. 4). Alan Sears, a former federal prosecutor for the Reagan administration and current president and CEO ... ... middle of paper ... ...n nearly enough. Media Bias may be considered either a serious problem or no problem at all. Some may feel that it is the Journalists responsibility to assure that no bias makes it into the news and that they should be as objective as possible. However, there are those who argue that journalists should not be expected to be as objective as possible because it is not realistic to believe that it can be accomplished. Then there is the argument to revive the Fairness Doctrine, or to keep it abolished forever for fear that the freedom of speech will be threatened if it is brought back to life. The media is an entity of its own. It is controlled and operated by a few people. The journalists under them willingly reflect the beliefs of their bosses into their works in order to keep their jobs. The harm in all of this depends on the influence it has on each individual.
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
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.
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.
In August 1987, the FCC abolished the doctrine by a 4-0 vote, in the Syracuse Peace Council decision, which was upheld by a different panel of the Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit in February, 1989.(AuBuchon) They suggested that because of the large amount of voices in the media marketplace, the doctrine was to be considered unconstitutional; stating that, “The intrusion by government into the content of programming occasioned by the enforcement of The Fairness Doctrine restricts the journalistic freedom of broadcasters and actually inhibits the presentation of controversial issues of public importance to the detriment of the public and the degradation of the editorial prerogative of broadcast journalists.” (Fairness) The government was trying to keep any broadcasting networks for personally attaching someone or some issue without giving that person or organization the opportunity to express their point of views and reasons. If ...
...plications, the public is able to share and obtain information before the morning newspaper is delivered. In addition, the media today continues to dramatize public events. Cases such as the Zimmerman Trial or foreign incidents in Ukraine remain headlines on news articles for months. Each source presents bias and influences its audience differently.
“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
It is not uncommon to hear people complaining about what they hear on the news. Everyone knows it and the media themselves knows it as well. Some of the most renowned journalists have even covered the the media’s issues in detail. Biased news outlets have flooded everyday news. We find that journalism’s greatest problems lie in the media’s inability for unbiased reporting, the tendency to use the ignorance of their audience to create a story, and their struggles to maintain relevance.
After the Communications Act of 1934 and the Mayflower Doctrine were not as successful as they were thought to be, the Fairness Doctrine started to be planned out. In 1949, the Fairness Doctrine ordered broadcast networks to contrast views on issues of importance in order to level the playing field....
Over seventy percent of Americans believe news is purposely biased(SPJ Code of Ethics). This shows that the people in America know their news is biased and are okay with it. Media bias is hurting the way people view races, religious groups, and certain jobs. Before investigating the situation wholly, people tend to believe what the media is saying which could be a stretch of the truth or even a lie. This essay is about Media Bias and all of the important information surrounding this controversial topic: journalism ethics, the “myth” of liberal media bias, and police department controversy.
We live in a world where humans tend to be very stubborn. We have a history of staying trapped in the old ways while the outside is prospering. Echo chambers and journalism affirmation has proven to be anything but useful. People search for the information that will reassure them that they are correct and ignore other outlook. Now, media sites target people from certain groups causing the problem to rise.
“Conspicuously missing from the top tier for perceived credibility is the nightly network news, with a net trust rating of only 43 percent” (Newport). Nightly news networks have a very low trust rating. The news media can be trusted because it presents factual information, and live broadcasts provide real evidence. On the other hand, the news media exaggerates stories to gain views and only gives you one side of the story. Even though the media can be bias and only show one side of the story it still shows factual information.
Plus the fairness doctrine sets a value that says can be founded on the principle that “in a democracy there is a public interest in a well-informed and participatory citizenry.” In other words, why do we want to be in a nation with citizens who really don’t even know what they are favoring? The doctrine is rooted in the idea that the broadcast media should inform but not indoctrinate; the media should provide ample information on public issues, but is not the public interest for government to allow corporations owning the broadcast frequencies to deliver to the public their corporate views on issues without giving viewers and listeners
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.
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.
The purpose of journalism is to report a story accurately; simply to tell it like it is. Over the past two decades, with increased tension over political and religious ideologies, the media’s original purpose is being lost. Yes, being well-informed remains an asset in the world today. Our now, globally-focused world will always value knowledge and awareness. With the television, internet, newspaper- all mediums of entertainment- available at the snap of a finger, we have non-stop access to news. One problem with this is the blatant bias of news networks. Every news source has a bias. Viewers typically recognize the platform of the major sources, therefore deterring them from certain networks. When reporters feed viewers the same opinion through different stories, the viewer isn’t getting a balanced intake in terms of overall understanding. In today’s society, viewers are truly at the mercy of what those in authority provide. Think of George Orwell’s 1984 where the all-powerful “Big Brother,” through “The Party” oversees every little piece of information that passes through the telescreen (along with everything that passes by the telescreen on the other end.) The citizens of Oceania are essentially clueless to the truth because they have no access to it. The television: typically a source of entertainment, transformed itself into an instrument for controlling. Yes, the modern technology is