Is the media really biased?

Question

Is it just another conspiracy theory? Is it really biased? I mean, not all journalists would turn out to be nasty biased jerks, right?

*coughawaywithfoxcough*

Answer 1

Todays broadcast is brought to you by the liberals. Liberals, mmm mmm good.

Why liberals? They smell like BBQ. I mean it.

Answer 2

It's not a conspiracy, but they are soooo biased. Biased against Bush, biased against America, biased against successful people... I think they all hang out together and tell each other how smart they are, and they all come from the same schools. Thank god we didn't have these "elite" media fools in World War II. We would be in Japan right now as we would have probably lost our will. This is America and if these losers would get out of our way there is no telling what good we could do for this world.

Answer 3

Yes, unfortunately, there is RAMPANT bias in the news media. You can watch 6 different news channels on any given day and get 6 different versions of the same event.

There is a lot of news we, as Americans, do not get. This is not due to the bias of the individual reporters, who risk and sometimes give their lives trying to get us information we desperately need. It's the huge, faceless corporations who own the news outlets (CNN, USA Today, etc.). They decide what news is fit for American consumption. This reality is very evident in people's attitude towards their news providers. Fewer and fewer people believe anything they see on the news or read in the papers. In fact, subscription rates for newspapers are at an all time low in this country.

Add to this the American notion, "If our supposedly 'free' press is so biased, how can I get any news from anywhere in the world which isn't biased? In a lot of countries, it's not even real news, it's just propaganda." Heck, most Americans are so busy trying to eke out a living, they don't have time to worry about anything happening on the other side of the globe.

Good Rule of Thumb: The more "unbiased" a news organization claims to be in it's name or slogan, the more biased it is in reality. Fox's "Fair and Balanced" News Team is anything but, a WMD response to a perceived "liberal" bias in the existing media; the former Soviet Union's state-sponsored newspaper was nothing but propaganda, even though the name of the paper was "Pravda", which means "Truth" in Russian.

Instead of asking IF the news media is biased. you should be asking how do we get back the trust we used to have in our news outlets? Is there any way, as long as corporations own the media?

Answer 4

every human being is biased.

Choosing what to report on is naturally biased.

Now, that doesn't mean there's some big conspiracy - it's just that people will report on what they think is important - and their own personal views will be reflected in that. Journalists can try their best to be un-biased (and I think the vast majority of them do), but, in the end, it's simply impossible.

Scientists even acknowledge an inherent bias in human beings, and this is why they do a lot of double-blind research experiments - to take their own biases out of the equation.

Answer 5

Journalists approach facts and issues from a particular world view. Some media have a declared bias: You wouldn't expect an approach unfavorable to Conservative views from Fox News or The Weekly Standard, and many mainstream publications are self-described as "left of center" or "right of center".

Often the answer is more subtle. The major newpapers of record and the major networks claim to be unbiased and do indeed present issues from more than one side. The Wall Street Journal's news columns have recently been implicitly attacked by its editorial side: a rare case of a Chinese wall between news and editorials coming into the public debate.

All news media have a certain bias that favors its consituency. Thus, even if we are talking about a mainstream publication, there will be a hesitancy or a refusal to carry news that is damaging to national interests. Unless that news is already in the public domain. There is also the infectious nature of patriotic fervor -- this kept the media in line when the Bush Administration went to war in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

There are many factors at work here, from the religious (fear of offending any significant group -- this was obvious in the matter of the Danish cartoons); it also is at work in anything to do with Israel (not just in respect of the "Jewish lobby" but even more so with respect to the "End Times" believers).

Another subtle point is that entry-level journalism jobs are low paid and, like teaching, tend to attract idealists who will accept low pay: this leaves out many or most conservatives and those for whom wealth is a major goal.

That said, anyone who believes there is an overt conspiracy in the nature of that fake Protocols of the Elders of Zion is, indeed, a jerk. But people are prone to look for conspiracies when there seems to be a wall of silence, or a wellspring of reporting, and one's own views are not being confirmed in the media. This is all the more true when you are talking about opinions that are fiercely protected: religion, politics, matters of life, death, sex and the family. In all of those, most of us hold dear to myths that we don't want to shed and don't want to see threatened.

Answer 6

Ya, they're biased. Of course they are supposed to be. It's part of the job. The media is supposed to be liberal just like the military is supposed to be structured and conservative.

You know - freedom of the press - freedom is on the left of the spectrum

It's not a conspiracy - it's natural

Something that's unnatural - Fox news - an exception, but when you think about it, they are free to cover the news how they want.

There are other media bias - but you'ld have to take my class to get more.

Answer 7

Well, Rush would say it's mostly the "Drive By Media." They don't really care much facts, but love statistics. There isn't a form of Journalism displayed today that doesn't show some sort of biased views. But, I can't dispute politics that well, but you can do what I do. Listen to News Radio 980, KMBZ.

Answer 8

I think people just want something to complain about. A lot of people are biased, but it's one of those "we can't blame all journalists or all white people or every employee of the government" kind of things. There are jerks in every area of life.

Answer 9

Yes, there is an inherent liberal bias in the media. It's quite obvious. There are so many apologists for Clinton in the media - the fact that he lied under oath and saw the US attacked directly or indirectly by al-Qaeda 6 times during his administration doesn't mean much to them. However, when Pres. Bush actually goes after the terrorists and stays true to his word and his convictions, the media jumps on him.

Answer 10

hahaha, I just read an article on cnn.com about the war with Israel and Lebanon. That article was the most biased news report I have ever read. I couldn't care less about the war but I know biased when I read it.

Answer 11

Well, lets see, there is violence in the Middle East every day, and nothing is ever said. When Isreal gets involved its on the news 24/7. Sound bias to you?