Media Bias: Obvious Troll is Obvious




 

When doing an internet search for "media bias," a vast majority of the search results claim, in one way or another, a pro-Obama media bias, liberal media bias, or just echo a set of various complaints from obviously conservative sources. When doing a search for "conservative media bias," the same phenomenon occurs, this time in the opposite direction.

Without being a proponent to either the left or the right side, let us then make a further examination of this initial observation.  Is the media less inclined to report on an incumbent president in a negative way? Is the media generally left-leaning, right-leaning, or is something else going on here? A little discussion on this topic will serve to energize our research and further our critical thinking on the subject.

The media has an immense amount of power. It is a power capable of defining cultures, societies, and even countries. The most predominant names in the media are controlled by corporations whose primary obligations lay with their corporate sharedholders.  A key term to further understanding this reality is fiduciary duty. These organizations are legally bound to put their profits and investors' concerns over the general public's need for accurate reporting.  Pressures from advertising companies, investors, and other corporations each cause the reporting of news to often slant, either left of right, for fear of profit loss.

Critics of media bias have formed organizations called "watchdogs," who claim to put pressure on the media to stay responsible in their journalism.  The largest of these political watchdog organizations all have an obvious conservative bias.  For example, the organization called Accuracy in Media (AIM) ran a column by Cliff Kincaid titled "Media to Declare Biden the Debate Winner."  In the article, Kincaid mentions that Biden may have Alzheimer's and promotes a website with a list of "Dumb Joe Biden Quotes." AIM's website features a mission statement prominently on their header, "For fairness, balance, and accuracy in news reporting."

Not all watchdog organizations are out to promote one agenda or the other. The organization called Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (F.A.I.R.) lists ten things to look for to detect bias in media reporting. They educate individuals to check sources, think about the story's point of view, and account for context. In addition to watchdog organizations, there are blogs, news communities, and student organizations that are working to educate the public and put pressure on the media to engage in more responsible journalism.

An article by Student News Daily outlines the major tools of bias in the media. Reporters can choose not to tell the whole story in which they leave out the details which may hurt their argument. In biased situations, media may also choose to only use sources that support their view, and only report on stories that support the agenda of their employers. They also use extreme labels on their political enemies, while not labeling their own proponents. These tactics are called spin. It forces the reader to see a story from a single point of view without any critical thinking or looking at the ideas from any other source.

When reading news articles from any source, it is critical to be able to detect its bias. Without this important skill, a reader might skip the part where he/she ask questions, instead of taking everything he/she sees as truth. The danger in this scenario could lead to misinformation among the general public, and a degradation of the fabric of our nation.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt echoed many Greek philosophers with his quote:

"Democracy cannot succed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education."

~ Mike Bobrin, Regina Kozakiewicz, Daniel Morales, Brittany Specht

Photo credit: tvtropes.org

Posted in: Democracy, Media