What Is News Media Bias?
- The American Enterprise Institute: A Study of Economic News in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- The naivete of the "big picture"
- Media Bias in News
- Distortion of Information in Elections
- What is the gender and race diversity of news outlets?
- What is the point of breaking a wall?
- The Rebel: A News Network
- News stories are expert witnesses
- A Subjective Statement on Fake News
- Newsy: A New Media Company
The American Enterprise Institute: A Study of Economic News in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The American Enterprise Institute studied the coverage of economic news in the US by looking at a panel of 389 newspapers from 1991 to 2004, and a sub sample of the top 10 newspapers. The authors of the data analyze how newspapers report on it, as reflected by the tone of the related headlines. The idea is to see if newspapers give more positive or negative coverage to the same economic figure as a result of the political affiliation of the incumbent president.
The authors found that there were between 9.6 and 14.7% fewer positive stories when the incumbent president was a Republican. Many news organizations reflect on the viewpoint of the geographic, ethnic, and national population that they serve. Sometimes media in countries are seen as unquestioning about the government.
The media is accused of bias against a particular religion. In some countries, only reporting approved by a state religion is allowed, whereas in other countries, derogatory statements about any belief system are considered hate crimes. In the way that language is used, bias is reflected.
Mass media has a worldwide reach, but must communicate with each linguistic group in their own language. The use of language may be neutral, or may attempt to be as neutral as possible, using careful translation and avoiding culturally charged words and phrases. It could be biased, using mistranslations and triggering words to target particular groups.
There are three languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The words common to all three languages are used by media that try to reach large audiences. Media can choose words that are unique to that group.
The naivete of the "big picture"
Journalists can't report all available stories and facts because they don't have the ability to link selected facts into a coherent narrative. It is impossible to report everything. Government influence, including overt and covert censorship, can affect the media in some countries. Market forces that can lead to a biased presentation include the ownership of the news source, concentration of media ownership, the selection of staff, and the preferences of an intended audience.
Media Bias in News
Media bias is the tendency of journalists and news producers to pick events and stories to report in order to get the most coverage. The term "media bias" refers to a pervasive bias in favor of the media over the standards of journalism. The degree of media bias in different countries is disputed.
Distortion of Information in Elections
If the information which citizens rely is distorted, they cannot cast informed votes or make knowledgeable decisions on public policy.
What is the gender and race diversity of news outlets?
What is the race and gender diversity of the news outlet you watch? How many people are involved in news outlets, from producers to editors to decision-makers? News outlets should have members of their communities in decision-making positions in order to represent different communities fairly.
What is the point of breaking a wall?
Ask journalists if they play things down the middle and they will likely tell you that is the case. They want to be fair. They're "centrists."
The Rebel: A News Network
The Rebel is a website that publishes news, opinions, and videos and was founded in February of 2015. Erza Levant is the current editor. The Rebel is owned by The Rebel News Network and it makes money through advertising and subscription fees. The director of the Rebel News Network is Ezra Levant.
News stories are expert witnesses
Experts in news stories are like expert witnesses in trials. You know which way the witness will testify if you know whether the defense or the prosecution called a particular expert witness. The reporter supports the side that the news story only presents.
A Subjective Statement on Fake News
A majority of Americans think traditional news sources report fake news. Media consumers need to learn how to spot bias in media. A subjective statement is one that is based on personal opinions.
It shows how the writer views reality. It is a statement colored by their perspective and cannot be verified using the facts and figures in the article. When a writer thinks that the way they see the world reflects how they think it is, they are in a state of mind reading.
One type of bias is story placement. If you're not reading anything else on the site or in the publication, the stories that are prominently featured on the homepage and in print show which stories they really want you to read. Many people will quickly read a headline or a homepage, so the stories that are featured first can reveal what the editor hopes you take away or keep top of mind from that day.
Newsy: A New Media Company
Newsy does not use the common types of media bias in its coverage according to an independent review by an AllSides staffer in April 2020. Its coverage is factual and not editorialized. Newsy was acquired by the E. W. Scripps Company in January of 2014). Newsy content can be found on a number of platforms.
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