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How the media influences our political views
Analysis of media bias
Influence of media on politics
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Recommended: How the media influences our political views
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and should be able to express such beliefs. That’s a core value of our country. The exception that is supposed to come into play here, however, is media. Journalism and news production were founded on the purpose of providing citizens with current facts and keeping them informed on the latest national issues. Though these principles are still the basis of media today, it has become more and more apparent how biased these media outlets actually are. Personal opinions and political party affiliation are the key culprits in the creation of such bias, of which can easily be recognized in different media production companies. A question one may pose regarding political bias in mass media would be “How …show more content…
Elaborating on this idea, the context of delivery and the sources used for the news story are just two channels where media can display their political partiality towards a certain party or group. The context of the delivery refers to the way the reporter(s) essentially report the news story. They can present facts in such a fashion that promotes a particular idea, stereotype, or feeling. All of these can be tied to some sort of political favoritism. An example could be found in a way a television media channel presents a breaking news story. Perhaps a news anchor was covering a certain shooting that happened. He or she places the majority of focus on the idea that the shooter was in possession of a concealed carry license, in the attempt to sway the viewers’ opinions on the issue of concealed carry. This can result in a viewer to think critically about this national issue and even …show more content…
When media and news casting was created, it was to inform the public and present the with the cold, hard facts of the issue at hand. It was never intended to sway the beliefs of others or to focus on showing only one side of the story because that’s what the viewers wanted to hear, however it’s very apparent in today’s media that this is what is taking place. Examples of this occur within almost every piece of news available to the public, but one key example that comes to mind is concerned with the latest presidential
Newspapers intend to report both sides of the story but it is difficult to withdraw bias completely. Reporters are only human and bring about their own opinions into their work. This can even happen without any realization that the reporter is adding bias from their own perspective. It can be seen more in some works and less in others, depending on the topic. A reporter focusing on an account of the presidency is likely to take it on with a one sided judgment. The actions of President Obama are so controversial that it is hard not to express the news without a tilt in one direction or another. The New York Times tries to hide this unbalanced spectrum but it still can slip in some instances. President Obama is portrayed by the New York Times with viewpoints that express a negative impact for the United States.
“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
As if a thorn in his side our country today has heeded no warning against this partisanship practice, throughout our economic and social system we have in fact done just the opposite (Fiorina). Media is in particular the most blatant example of this practice in which parties have afforded no hindrance to our history and the warnings it provides. Partisan media or ‘polarized media’ has showcased our human ability to find vengeance and animosity in practically any situation or circumstance, I believe that it is the charge of every American to continuously question news its...
How has media influenced public perception of political figures, issues, and institutions? Through agenda setting and framing, media has the power to set the agenda for political discussion by providing public attention to political figures, issues, and institutions. In addition, the media can frame political agendas by influencing public perception and interpretation. (Ginsberg, Lowi & Weir, 1999)
We rely on the media for a lot of news and current events. Some news channels and reporter are consistently more reliable than others, and it is hard to determine which one is more credible than the other. All the news sources are so competitive they want to publish the story as soon as they get the information even if it is not accurate or complete. Eighty-two percent of Americans believe that the crime reported based on what is viewed on the news and the other seventeen percent is their lifestyle (Bohm, & Haley, 2012). These are the unbalanced reports from the media that we have to choose from when we want to know about the local and worldwide news. Sometimes the story is so repetitious that we get tired of seeing and hearing the same thing
... is too plain to see to ignore. With the preponderance of information available on the Internet, accurate news reporting is literally seconds away from decoding the spin and explaining the actual facts without as much bias as you will see on cable news. While we still rely on cable news for the visual images and constant analyzation of the news, we have built into our heads which channel is left leaning, right leaning or which one is attempting to straddle the grey area of the politically moderate. Unfortunately to the avid and siloed viewer, theses media channels are the foundation of truth that they need to continue on with their affiliations, political beliefs and moral convictions without worrying about having to change their minds - on anything.
Today we live in a world known as the information age. With our advances in technology unlike anything in our history, our thoughts and opinions are shaped by our televisions, computers, smartphones and other media devices. Just by watching the news channels on our home television we can receive knowledge and be up to date on all things happening over the entire globe. Although media is very useful to us, it can sometimes alter the details about issues to be more biased to a particular audience. For example, consider the two major news channels Fox News and CNN. Fox and CNN can be given the same case, such as ObamaCare and can broadcast two completely different views on it.
Most human beings have a sense of curiosity about learning what’s happening in the world around them. In order to attain this knowledge, visual prowess is relied heavily to analyze mediums, in order to understand incidents occurring all over the globe. With the assistance of evolution in technology, the media, specifically journalism, has become an essential medium through which knowledge is attained. Photojournalism is a type of journalism that plays an important role in conveying the message of a news event to the public. However, most people believe that photographs presented as medium to gain knowledge are a “transparent window on the world, capturing reality through a camera lens”, (Schwartz 2012). But in fact, most knowledge trying to
They may even interpret something differently. There are 6 Power House Networks, where most people get their news from. Fox News is a conservative media outlets and most readers tend to be conservative as well. All ABC, CBS, NBC are liberal media outlets, but Fox viewers will watch these as well. CNN and MSNBC are also more on the liberal side. Each are different in the way they express themselves and what sources they use. Some may have more reliable sources than others. People turm everywhere to find current events. Current events are often found in magazines, newspapers, tv news, online, yahoo, etc. ‘’ Don't allow the media to fool you.
The Power of the Media in Politics The mass media possesses a great deal of influence in society and politics in the United States. Newspapers, radio, magazines and television. are able to use their own judgment when reporting current events. The The power of the mass media is an asset to the government in some instances and a stumbling block in others. Recent technology and regulations related to The media have improved the means by which the public can get information.
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." This quote by A.J. Liebling illustrates the reality of where the media stands in today's society. Over the past twenty years there has been an increase in power throughout the media with regard to politics. The media's original purpose was to inform the public of the relevant events that occurred around the world. The job of the media is to search out the truth and relay that news to the people. The media has the power to inform the people but often times the stories given to the public are distorted for one reason or another. Using slant and sensationalism, the media has begun to shape our views in society and the process by which we choose our leaders. There was once a time when the government used the media as a medium to influence voters, committees, communities etc. Recently, it has been the presidents of major media outlets that have not only exercised power over the public but also made their presences felt in government and in the halls of congress. When the word democracy is thrown about it usually has to do with the rights or original intentions for a group or organization. The first group intended to be influenced by the media was the informed voter. Political parties along with the government used a variety of media resources to persuade the voter or in effect receive a vote for their cause. Returning to the thought of ?democracy? the question is, what was the original intention of the media with relation to the theme of democracy and the informed voter? To analyze this thought thoroughly one must first grasp an understanding of the basic definition of democracy.
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.
“Everything is in the way the material is composed.”― Joseph O'Connor, Star of the Sea
When studying bias in relation to politics, it must be known that there are separate ways in which bias can be implemented. First, “gatekeeping bias,” which is when a story is chosen in favor of a party; second is “coverage bias” which is the consideration of the “relative amount of coverage each party receives”; lastly, “statement bias” is focused upon the favorable coverage of either party (D’Alessio and Allen, 2000, p.133). It is imperative to note that the implementation of bias can go both ways. In like manner, Smith (2010) argued that when in the face of such bias attacks it can be effective to attack in retaliation. Smith (2010) noted that both parties are able to, “influence perceptions of bias” (p.319). However, as Budak, Goel and Rao (2016) stated that from their research, news organizations do not advocate for a specific party—as D’Alessio and Allen provided in their “statement bias”—but by “disproportionately criticizing one side”
Framing is also another tactic that the media uses to shape public opinion. This is the ability the media has to influence the way citizens interpret political settings. The media has the power to make any political candidate either popular or unpopular. This approach is called priming. When the media channels find a candidate that they think would bring them a lot of attention, the media decides to support them. This they call, the candidate having “momentum”. An example of this would be, the media announcing that Barack Obama has “momentum” during the 2008 elections. This made him popular and increased his voter turnout by a considerable number. Norton, (2012).