Political- Science
Does the Media Have a Liberal Bias?
The propensity of media outlets and various news anchors to choose an incident and how they present it to the public is referred to as media biases. The presence of press biases is determined by the information news outlet utilized to obtain news content. Viewing local headlines may be aggravating at times, especially when one comes across material that does not even need to be included in the story. Broader news outlets tend to address significantly bigger geographical regions and more national occurrences. Some mainstream press personalities are so prejudiced that they end up pushing their beliefs on individuals (Puglisi & Snyder, 2015). Today’s broadcast exposure has an impact on everyone and how they make judgments. Today’s press covers and reports the information that they wish viewers to perceive or understand.
They no longer report the actual events and might instead concentrate on a single media story for three or several days and merely on what inspires them. The online world is now commonly accessible and has become a central media platform. News organizations can immediately post their content digitally, and anyone with a smartphone can browse them. Visual effects and graphic elements are used in Internet media sources to keep readers interested in current events. Nevertheless, all news pieces published are limited to what individuals wish to read and listen to. They will make sure that the information given is relevant to the circumstance. Most individuals’ perspectives are heavily influenced by the quick expansion of social networking parodies and other humor. In many circumstances, the media posts what they will gain from, knowing that they would be more likely to be endorsed if they publish what consumers anticipate. This has a negative impact because citizens are not adequately educated on what they should be.
This problem of media partiality is a typical assertion made by politicians, particularly during campaigns. As a result, it is a problem that must be thoroughly investigated to establish whether it is a viable claim. When the press broadcasts an unfavorable article about a governmental leadership or politicians, they are frequently accused of frightening the politician who is striving to aid the community. Liberal media unfairness allegations are more frequent than conservative media unfairness allegations. Any narrative disseminated by the press is twisted to favor political opinions while limiting conservative media views. Recognizing media tendencies might be problematic on occasions. People frequently witness similar situations in the media and read about them in many publications without realizing it is due to media biases. Media bias is prevalent in many aspects of the media, although it is difficult to identify (Snyder & Puglisi, 2015).
Sometimes people develop perceptions about a brand or a person based on what they see in the media. Individuals also form ideas about individuals based on problems they observe or hear about in the press, and it is still challenging to identify media bias. This demonstrates that the major problem is not even the prevalence of media bias but instead identifying a situation as biased when people learn about it or experience it. In the United States of America, the press performs an essential role since thousands of people rely on their televisions and the information they provide. This causes them to develop views about their problems on these television programs and learn about such concerns. The media is critical in American politics since it may make or destroy a political contender. Based on how they portray a politician, they may be able to persuade people to appreciate them better. The press has the ability to influence the public’s preferences because it can choose to show them what they desire to see. Many concerns arise throughout political elections, but the news outlets can choose to emphasize one subject they believe is the most significant and dismiss all others. Since the news medium on which the public relies for news is inherently tainted, it is difficult for the audience to make their own decisions on these social policy concerns. As a result, it is clear that news programming outlets are simply impartial. Many conversations have taken place around the subject of media bias.
The news media can be prejudiced in favor of either liberalism or conservatism. On the one hand, some conservatives contend that liberal reporters sometimes connect their personal liberal opinions to news broadcasting, whereas liberal journalists believe that everything they publish is simply the information itself. Unfortunately, many individuals are unable to recognize examples of partiality in the news outlets. They think that news journalists are always objective and ensure that news broadcasting is not prejudiced. A reporter, like any other individual, has the right to choose their judgments at any moment. There is so much press exposure in today’s politics, and everyone believes that a potential contender must be ready to speak to the public to be voted to a governmental office (HASSELL, HOLBEIN & MILES, 2020). Because personal views are no longer hidden, reporters believe that even if they are individually progressive, they preserve competence and remain impartial. I believe there is partiality in claiming that the press has a liberal bent. Several American households have at least one television from which to acquire their news. This demonstrates the importance of political contenders having good personal characteristics, strategies, and concepts to persuade the audience. Because of this vast publicity, the contenders are able to present their ideas to the community regardless of how the public reacts. The audience cannot choose their thoughts and views before the press has provided them with a concept of what to consider.
Finally, the news industry has a tremendous impact on individuals’ thoughts and opinions. They may often opt to broadcast what will profit them without contemplating how this will affect public perception. Since they are extensively watched, the news outlets must ensure that they reasonably convey their information and that all audiences can express their thoughts and opinions without being manipulated. Therefore, it is not advisable to presume that conservative media coverage is less visible than liberal media coverage.
Is America becoming More Unequal?
The argument of whether America is increasingly more uneven has long existed and remains to be a hotly debated subject. Some claim that America is a country that has made considerable strides toward being a fully egalitarian community. Others argue that America is growing more discriminatory, which is hindering it from assisting individuals who do not have the same fairness as others. This is an issue that raises the topic of the U.s’ ethical consistency and whether it protects all residents equitably. While some individuals claim that America is becoming a more equitable nation where everybody’s rights are protected, there is proof suggesting the country is regressing in terms of fairness (McCarty, Poole & Rosenthal, 2016). Many individuals argue that America has grown more egalitarian and tolerant in terms of various kinds of citizens. Notwithstanding institutionalized biases within the nation, some individuals continue to assume that the rules utilized by the American authorities are intended in such a way that they encourage fairness to everyone (McCarty, Poole & Rosenthal, 2016).
For individuals who embrace the preceding claim, the thought that the United States may be prohibiting specific classes of citizens from exercising their human liberties may appear completely ridiculous. Anti-Muslim protests in New York City slowed the development of mosques. In addition, government enforcement in these locations has turned these Muslim worshiping sites into a hotspot for terrorism and other unlawful activity. There is a lot of bias and intolerance against Muslims due to these preconceptions that equate them with terrorists’ activities. Nevertheless, the United States has undertaken a significant step toward creating a more egalitarian country. One instance is when the black people were enslaved in America, but this is no longer the situation.
Notwithstanding these efforts, it is evident that America has considerable ways to go before it can be considered a nation with freedom and equality for everyone. In America, it is not just Muslims who experience unfair reception; numerous foreigners encounter similar consequences. Despite the fact that America is regarded as a society established on foreigners, animosity toward foreigners who arrive there to build life persists (MISHEL, BIVENS, GOULD & SHIERHOLZ, 2012). The majority of immigrants are treated as if they are emptying the riches of the United States, and some of them are forced to labor in deplorable situations for pitiful wages. The occupations in which the majority of them are employed are those that the majority of Americans have discarded.
It is evident that America would not be where it is, were it not for the immigrants. Alexander Hamilton, the country’s foundational father, was a foreigner who was forced to America and ended up making significant contributions to the country. This demonstrates that prejudice towards foreigners must be tolerated. Most of them are being battled by American legislation, such as the Arizona statute, which focuses on unauthorized foreigners and makes it difficult for many firms to hire them. This definitely demonstrates inequity in America.
Police violence is yet another example of inequity in America. This is a rising issue in America, and it appears to target particular categories of the indigenous community. One of these aimed populations is African Americans’, with the bulk of them being slain by white enforcement personnel for no apparent reason. One example is the Philando Castile incident, in which a black person was shoved over and compelled to reveal himself. The guy was gunned dead as he attempted to retrieve his identity documentation while his wife and child stayed in the car. Despite this, the officer in charge was not even disciplined. The reality that this law enforcement officer was permitted to perform all of this without being charged demonstrates the bias intended for African individuals in the United States. At the same time, whites are granted a free license (MISHEL, BIVENS, GOULD & SHIERHOLZ, 2012).
Notwithstanding the country’s claims that it is getting more racially aware, there is still inequity amongst ethnicities in America. It has become the standard in America to observe an innocent black youngster being murdered by police officers, and the policeman is not even interrogated about it. This is a prominent display of authority misuse, and this authority has been granted to them by the United States. America also demonstrates that it gives law enforcement the power to harm minorities by not punishing those who disrespect them.
This assertation is enough to persuade people that America is increasingly inequitable. If one can consider why was Philando Castilla, a black man, shot dead while attempting to access his permit from the vehicle to describe himself with law enforcement officers. Still, the Parkland educational gunman, Nikolas Cruz, a white man who murdered seventeen individuals and wounded many, was interrogated totally uninjured and was afterward permitted to survive freely despite taking so many people’s lives, it is evident that America is increasingly inequitable (Ellis & Kirkos, 2017). American law enforcement officers feel justified in taking life from a marginalized population for whatsoever purpose, but they never consider it justified in doing the same to a genuine murderer who is white-skinned.
In conclusion, while the status of fairness in America appears to be strengthening, it is eventually deteriorating to that of a community with a lot of bias and preference for specific classes of individuals. Even while American laws strive to promote fairness, there are some systemic biases that end up overriding them and rendering them ineffective. As a result, it has proven evident that America is becoming increasingly unbalanced. As a result, America is a country that must foster awareness and genuine transformation to foster the fundamental notion of fairness.
References
Ellis, R., & Kirkos, B. (2017, June 17). The officer who shot Philando Castile found not guilty. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/16/us/philando-castile-trial-verdict/index.html
HANS J. G. HASSELL, JOHN B. HOLBEIN, & MATTHEW R. MILES. (2020). There is no liberal media bias in which news stories political journalists choose to cover. Science Advances. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aay9344
LAWRENCE MISHEL, JOSH BIVENS, ELISE GOULD, & HEIDI SHIERHOLZ. (2012). The State of Working America. Home. https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/74182/Mishel_Bivens_Gould_Shierholz_The_State_of_Working_America.pdf
McCarty, N., Poole, K. T., & Rosenthal, H. (2016). Polarized America: The dance of ideology and
Riccardo Puglisi, & James M.Snyder Jr. (2015). Empirical studies of media bias. ScienceDirect.com | Science, health, and medical journals, full-text articles, and books. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780444636850000152
Riccardo Puglisi,, & James M. Snyder Jr. (2015, August 6). The balanced us press. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jeea.12101
unequal riches. MIT Press.
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