Order ID 396738296
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Kenyatta University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
402
Subject
Communications
Date
Nov 24, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
6
Uploaded by surampya9
1
Media Bias
Name
Institution
Course
Professor
Date
2
Media bias refers to the ability of media to disseminate information in an unbalanced way
to its targeted audience by means of reporting or print media. I n helping people navigate issues
of concerns in the society, media plays a crucial role. Media may affect the opinions and views of
people. Nevertheless, views and opinions of some rational individuals in the society may not be
influenced by media. Based on scholarly analysis and research, media bias exists in the society.
From conservative viewpoints, media bias is believed to separate liberal and progressive views.
While some may argue that media bias does not exist, various authors including Hamborg et al.
(2019) maintains that media bias exist. Recently, political analysts and observers have pinpointed
Fox and New Yorker having demonstrated media bias in their news’s presentation.
Media bias is clearly evident through selective reporting. There have been instances
where media give more emphasis on covering certain stories while neglecting others. Because of
factors including but not limited to commercial interests, political affiliations and editorial
choices, media bias exists where priority of reporting is given on certain issues while neglecting
others. According to Aliprandini & Flynn (2018), media selectivity has given rise to imbalanced
reporting of issues hence limiting the targeted audience against accessing complete coverage of
news. Media bias can be influenced by the ability of media outlets aligning to certain political
affiliations and their ideologies. For instance, significant issues such as social justice may end
being reported often by liberal-leaning media outlets thus giving little or no focus on issues of
national security which are mainly aligned to conservative-leaning ideologies. Media owner or
editorial boards may specify editorial policies and preferences which influence selecting
reporting. Such guidelines provided by media owners encourage the tendency of giving more
attention to reporting of certain issues more than others (Aliprandini & Flynn, 2018).
Moreover,
media may prioritize on reporting issues that tap more audience or viewers. Driven by
3
commercial interests, media may therefore strive to garner more viewers by reporting on issues
are more appealing and attractive to its audience hence neglecting other more relevant news. This
kind of selective reporting significantly shows that media bias exists in the society.
The public opinion and perception is ultimately shaped by media. Media is considered a
powerful tool towards framing news. Media has a greater capacity of using persuasive language
that can shape people’s opinion regarding societal, political or economic issues. While
downplaying certain issues, media may frame news to suit their interests. This further influences
the apprehension and interpretation of news. Certain news organizations may neglect coverage of
relevant viewpoints while giving adequate coverage of certain statements issued by one side of a
political affiliation. Moreover, the use of an emotional language while reporting news may
trigger empathy from the audience hence eliciting anger or fear. As a result, people’s perception
and opinion may be altered. A study carried out by Hamborg et al. (2019) shows that media bias
may trigger emotional responses from the public thus affecting their perception on certain issues.
For instance, emotional responses surrounding “victory” or “progress” may be presented by
news outlets to trigger sense of hope in the light of a specific media outlet hence media bias
(Hamborg et al., 2019)
Rees & Twedt (2022) claim that media bias is evident through political bias that is
commonly witnessed in media coverage. As a result, it may trigger significant effects on public
opinion, behaviors of voters and the general democracy. Media reporting is often skewed where
media outlets align themselves on certain political ideologies. In the event, political and election
processes may end up being altered in favor of another political affiliation due to this political
bias. For instance, there were controversies over news coverage during Donald Trump’s elections
in 2016. Some believed that media was unfair and biased throughout the campaign period. So
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
4
much attention was directed upon the administration of Donald Trump by the media hence media
bias (Rees & Twedt, 2022). Therefore, by aligning to certain political parties’ interests, beliefs or
ideologies, media outlets can present media bias. The liberal-leaning outlet may prioritize on
issues affecting conservative citizens hence ignoring the liberal-based ones.
News reporting can be shaped by economic aspects including financial interests and
incentives (Cameron, 2023). The desire by media outlets to garner more viewers may give rise to
news coverage of events or issues that are attention-oriented or sensational. Most of the news
reporting may therefore be primarily on political or business purpose hence neglecting actual
events that are of importance to the general audience. This kind of news reporting and coverage
clearly demonstrate media bias that exists in the society. Significant interests laid by media
outlets on profitability may drive their focus on commercial reporting. This promotes media bias
in the sense that key issues affecting the general public may not receive adequate attention by the
media that is obsessed by profitability. Fox News presents a better example of media outlet that
embraces media bias in its reporting. Critiques maintain that the news outlet give more emphasis
on issues that are connected to conservative viewpoints while neglecting liberal viewpoints.
As media bias continue to exist in the society, various scholars through research have
attempted to address the concerns. Hamborg et al. (2019) have made vital contributions on the
issue of media bias. The study provides better understanding of the nature and the contributing
factors behind media bias. While addressing issues around media bias, Hamborg et al. (2019)
have helped establish advanced methodologies that can be deployed to determine and navigate
on media bias and other relevant issues. Interdisciplinary technique suggested by the study
including data analysis, natural language processing and computational linguistics are of great
importance in identifying and analyzing media bias presented in media outlets. These have
5
helped apprehend and navigate on media bias and its existence in the society. Moreover, another
study by Spinde et al. (2022) has ensured increased awareness on media bias. The members of
the public and journalists have become aware of media bias hence able to reflect on the issue and
adopt reporting practices that are fair and just.
In conclusion, evidence generated by several studies demonstrate that media bias exists.
In the contemporary society, media bias is manifested in media outlets through selective
reporting. Information being conveyed is often framed to suit certain political affluence and
interests. Through selective presentation, people’s opinions and perspectives may be distorted as
media strive to align by their beliefs or agendas (Hamborg et al., 2019). Profit-driven media
outlets such as the Fox news has often given a lot of attention of reporting issues around
conservative viewpoints hence neglecting liberal ones. This subjects the general public on
limited or misinformation. Therefore, as targeted audience, it is important to stay informed and
make rational decisions that are not shaped by media bias. While navigating on present issues in
the society, it is vital to be vigilant. Media outlets must be committed to being objective and
promote transparency in their reporting. This can be achieved by ensuring farness in their
reporting and news coverage without favoring a particular group or political affiliation. This is
paramount towards building public trust.
6
References
Aliprandini, M., & Flynn, S. I. (2018). Media Bias: Overview. Points of View: Media Bias, 1.
Cameron, M. P. (2023). Two models for illustrating the economics of media bias in a policy-
oriented course. Journal of Economic Education, 54(3), 281–288.
https://doi-
org.navarrocollege.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/00220485.2023.2183918
Hamborg, F., Donnay, K., & Gipp, B. (2019). Automated identification of media bias in news
articles: an interdisciplinary literature review. International Journal on Digital Libraries,
20(4), 391–415.
https://doi-org.navarrocollege.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s00799-018-0261-y
Rees, L., & Twedt, B. J. (2022). Political Bias in the Media’s Coverage of Firms’ Earnings
Announcements. Accounting Review, 97(1), 389–411.
https://doi-
org.navarrocollege.idm.oclc.org/10.2308/TAR-2019-0516
Spinde, T., Jeggle, C., Haupt, M., Gaissmaier, W., & Giese, H. (2022). How do we raise media
bias awareness effectively? Effects of visualizations to communicate bias. PLoS ONE,
17(4), e0266204.
https://doi-
org.navarrocollege.idm.oclc.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266204
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help