Bias in news media has become a topic of heated discussion. I
would dare say that it is more of a concern now than it has ever been in the
past. The rage of claiming bias news in recent events began with current president,
Donald
Trump, claiming that several accusations made against him were from
bias new sources with no facts to merit their claims. Or in his own words, “Fake News.”
Whether he was right or wrong, his response to bias news started a sweep across
media platforms. People became more aware and far more opinionated about “fake
news” ever since.
The issue of bias news is nothing new. For as long as there
has been a press, there has been opinions woven into every news story printed.
It is human nature that cannot be avoided; reporters and journalist can hardly
keep their opinions out of their stylistic writing. However, I feel within the
recent years, bias news has begun to take on a new face that has yet to be
seen. In the recent years with the rise of social media, everyone has become
their own reporter, and now everyone has an opinion…. with no obligation to
fact check themselves creating a new predicament all its own.
Even the quietest of people has newfound courage to voice
their opinions matters they feel strongly about, especially in regards to
social/political issues of the time. Social media has worked two-fold to create
this new era of heavily charged bias news: It has made news far more
accessible, and it has given everyone the liberty to share the “news.”
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Let’s first look at how social media has
reshaped news. A recent study shows how within the last decade, news outlets
worked tirelessly to reshape their platform. Out with the old and in with the
new, and the new way of getting information is through social media. “About two-thirds of American adults (68%) say they
at least occasionally get news on social media” Source
The data within the study is
thorough (with high interactivity in their graphs and charts for comparison) in
showing how over the decade news outlets worked tediously to reach their
influence on every able and available device. They wanted their outlets
accessible on Android, IPhone, and every other device in between. The even
worked to get their outlets proper representation on social media in order to
cut out the middle man and get right to where people are spending the majority
of their time.
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“For many users, social media is part of their daily routine. Roughly three-quarters of Facebook users – and around six-in-ten Instagram users – visit these sites at least once a day.” Source
But
there have been unforeseen issues arise with social media being the main source
of news information. According to television producer, Paul Brandus, his time in the broadcasting and television industry showed
him a whole new side of bias news. His observations led him to the conclusion that
extreme beliefs (his example being the two main political parties) and social
media are pushing extreme and openly brazen bias in media outlets. People are
no longer interested in the facts; they want the dirt on the opposing party, so
they can post it and share it. It also seems news sources are catering to this
as well with shareable content on all forms of their outlets.
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As if there was not
enough division among the parties as it is, social media has added a new layer.
Just as the president was throwing accusations of fake news, people of both
parties are quick to make the same claim when there is a post that opposes
their points of view. “Republicans are more negative about the news they see on social
media than Democrats. Among Republican social media news consumers, 72% say
they expect the news they see there to be inaccurate… while 42% of those
Democrats who get news on social media say it has helped their understanding of
current events,” (Source). Even though people are quick
to use social media as their source of news, they also are quick to disregard
that information if it does not suit their opinion. This further thicken the
layer of bias. People are reading the information on social media that best
fits their political views while disregarding opposing ideas as “fake” without
fact checking either.
I
recently discussed in one of my articles, how my generation and future generation no longer care
about politics or their “civic duty.” They see it as a joke. They no longer
want to read about the “boring” details on politicians that feel too far from
reach to care about the general populace, so the news stations are acting in
other ways to appeal to the rising apathetic audiences.
News sources are still a
business, and they at the end of the day want to make money. “when you get right
down to it, that’s why CNN, Fox News and MSNBC are in business: not to make you
smarter and more informed, but to make money for their corporate parents:
AT&T T, +1.14% , Fox Corp. FOXA, -0.18% and Comcast CMCSA, +0.45% , respectively” (Source). So, people
in media understand better than anyone the lack of interest from future
generations on what use to be front page coverage. They now have adapted to
focusing more on the drama to draw in their audiences and get the views they
need.
“You feel more informed, but actually the opposite might be true. Then there is this: Whatever political bias these channels have (and they do have them) is nearly always driven by an even bigger bias: that toward drama and conflict.” Source
A
prime example of all this can be seen with the most recent news of the
impeachment trials of current president, Donald Trump. What is trending on
social media is not what is going on in the court room, instead it is the
colorful opinions of everyone with an account and memes[l2] of the matter.
Trending
on Twitter: #impeach
And
the news coverage is not much different. Instead of focusing on hearing itself,
the news stations are waiting to see how the opposing side acts so
they can talk about it. And endless game of who said the most absurd and outrageous
thing on national television. Fox news degrades the hearings by calling them
“boring” and “stupid” while CNN fires back calling Fox out with their opening
line being, “watching Fox news is like watching Donald Trump’s dreams come
true.” The rest of the coverage does nothing but take shots at Fox all the
while knowing Fox is going to respond aggressively the following day. A cycle of drama people watch to be
entertained, not informed.
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All
the way down to the terminology and effects, you begin to feel you are watching
more of a reality TV show finale showdown than a news broadcast. There is more
emphasis on why the opposing side is outlandish and foolish (bias) instead of
the meat of what is going on. History is being taken place, with a presidential
impeachment hearing only happening two times before in our country’s history,
but what is being documented and reported is how stupid the opposing side is
acting. Bias news is evolving; it is no longer enough to point out the flaws in
the opposing side’s argument. Now, audiences are wanting and sharing gritty
details and degrading comments. With the aid of social media, we are seeing
bias news no longer be a subtly woven into the material, but instead be thrown
out in the open for all to see and dare contradict. It’s the drama and
enjoyment of conflict that is driving bias to soar in our media today.
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