Media Bias and Public Opinion
It is often suggested that pure objectivity in media reportage is a myth. This view has become accepted as fact and is supported by the research and experience of objectivity in the sciences and other disciplines. Experiments in physics (Heisenberg) have lent credence to the idea that there is always a subjective component in any investigation and that true objectivity is more of a myth and ideal rather than actuality. This applies as well to any media news or report.
The proliferation and extent of the influence of the media on our lives has also been extended over the past few decades and there is almost no sector of our lives that is unaffected by modern media - from news to advertising to the Internet. This also leads to the inescapable conclusion that the media has a profound and ubiquitous influence on public opinion. The power and…...
mlaReference List
Buddenbaum, J. (1999) How perceptions of news bias in news sources relate to beliefs about media bias Newspaper Research Journal www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000305316
Balasubramanian, Siva K. (2004) "Beyond Advertising and Publicity: Hybrid Messages and Public Policy Issues." Journal of Advertising 23.4 (1994): 29. Questia. 17 June 2004 http://www.questia.com/ .
Coleman, W. (2003) "Racial bias affects both news, opinion pages.," The Masthead.
Eubanks, D. (2000) "Media's Selectivity on Ads Crimps Marketplace of Ideas." The Washington Times 3 Aug. 2000: 2. Questia. 17 June 2004
Media Bias
A liberal society is perceived to have no existence without news media that facilitates dissemination of right information to the individuals with a view to make them aware of the pronouncements. At the moment the news media fails to deliver the truth it have distorts the perception of individuals. The autocrats have always attempted to maneuver the public opinion by steering the press coverage to their advantages. Even Hitler relied upon the government owned press for publicizing his Nuremberg and Munich rallies. Lenin depended upon his newspaper ISKA so as to popularize his Bolshevik revolution. He concentrated on discontents so as attain authority for himself. However, our media are not owned by government as was the case in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, we are required to presume that are not free. (Media Deception is more than Liberal Bias)
About seventy million Americans depend upon the television telecasting for…...
mlaReferences
Barro, Robert J. Bias beyond a Reasonable Doubt- Issue: Yes, the media are overwhelmingly liberal. Volume 10; Issue 13. 13 December, 2004. Retrieved from Accessed on 12 December, 2004http://theweeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/997meijg.asp
Croteau, David. Journalism Survey: A Report Examining the 'Liberal Media' Claim: Journalists' Views on Politics, Economic Policy and Media Coverage. Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Sociology and Anthropology. June 1998. Retrieved from Accessed on 12 December, 2004http://www.tnstate.edu/cmcginnis/journalismsurvey.htm
Dee, Jimmy. Distortion, blindness and the 'liberal' media. Retrieved from Accessed on 12 December, 2004http://www.onlinejournal.com/Media/082004Dee/082004dee.html
Fiedor, Doug. More Liberal Media Bias: Fiedor Report on the News No: 321. 17 October 2004. Retrieved from Accessed on 12 December, 2004http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1247176/posts
The spin that often surrounds war, is fundamentally damaging even if it is intended as damage control for the nation as a whole, or at the very least the leaders of the nation.
Public Belief
It has been hinted at within this work that the old adage, the public does not necessarily believe what it hears, but it hears what it believes is at play when it comes to media. As Jamieson & aldman pointed out by their poll results, of the Gore Bush election, post media bias survey, there is a clear sense that the public sees the opposing view as the one that is most stark in their utilization of biased reporting.
Additionally, Bernard Goldberg's op ed piece regarding the reduced viewer-ship of network news clearly states that even the commentators seem to be painfully aware that the public no longer trusts the mainstream media to offer a fair unbiased…...
mlaWorks Cited
Aday, Sean, John Cluverius, and Steven Livingston. "As Goes the Statue, So Goes the War: The Emergence of the Victory Frame in Television Coverage of the Iraq War." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 49.3 (2005): 314.
Bogart, Leo. Commercial Culture: The Media System and the Public Interest. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Champlin, Dell, and Janet Knoedler. "Operating in the Public Interest or in Pursuit of Private Profits? News in the Age of Media Consolidation." Journal of Economic Issues 36.2 (2002): 459.
Chapter 2 How Journalists Deal with Scientific Uncertainty." Communicating Uncertainty: Media Coverage of New and Controversial Science. Ed. Sharon M. Friedman, Sharon Dunwoody, and Carol L. Rogers. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999. 23-38.
Although the BBC does not openly criticize the war in Iraq, as in the New York Times article, it tends to express its opinion in a more subtle use of language and presentation.
5.0 a Comparison of News Agencies
All of the news agencies explored in this analysis highlighted stories of local interest. However, concern over the H1N1 virus stood out as a key area of International concern. In coverage of this issue, a number of different journalistic styles emerged. Of these news agencies, the New York Times presented the fewest facts about the virus, its victims, or the actual toll in human lives. Its story highlighted a personal tragic account of a victim being denied services at a hospital. The stories had a high appeal due to the ability of the writers to tell a gripping story, even if the story is only a hypothetical situation, extrapolated from something real.…...
mlaWorks Cited
Battacharji, Pretti. Media Censorship in China. 2009. Council on Foreign Relations. Web. 3 Nov.
2009. http://www.cfr.org/publication/11515/#p2
BBC. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. http://www.bbc.co.uk/
New York Times. Week in Review. Web. November 2, 2009.
Pro-Corporate Media Bias
Pro-Corporate Bias in the Media
"I believe democracy requires a 'sacred contract' between journalists and those who put their trust in us to tell them what we can about how the world really works" (Moyers, 2004). This essay examines the pro-corporate bias in media coverage as network journalism underreports corporate corruption, and analyzes how the 'sacred contract' has been violated by failures of the news media.
Any discussion of journalistic malfeasance must consider societal expectations and requirements with respect to media coverage. Over the course of time many thought leaders have sought to define the basis of a superior socio-political and economic system. Johnson's survey of social philosophy, Culture, Ideology, and Justice, (date) provides some insights into the structure of an ideal society. According to Johnson, there are five criteria that determine the essential structure of justice:
Whether persons should be self-governing or subservient to their betters?
How best to limit power:…...
mlaReference List
Ackman, D. (2001). While Enron burned, Wall Street fiddled. Forbes.com website. Retrieved May 11, 2011 from http://www.forbes.com/2001/11/29/1129topnews.html
Barney Frank says derivatives spinoff proposal 'goes too far.'" ( 2011). Wall Street Pit website. Retrieved May 11, 2011 from http://wallstreetpit.com/29342-barney-frank-says-derivatives-spinoff-proposal-goes-too-far
Bond, P. (1989). S&L coverage ignores root causes and progressive options. FAIR website. Retrieved May 11, 2011 from http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1559
Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. (2011) Financial Crisis Inquiry Report. New York: Public Affairs
Interest Groups and the MediaToday, American voters enjoy access to a veritable cornucopia of information about anything, including most especially the high-profile political events that have characterized life in the United States in recent years. Indeed, the combination of mainstream media outlets such as radio, television and the Internet together with opposing views from fringe media resources that espouse extremist views of all ilk have contributed to a flood of information that makes it challenging for the average voter to know what to believe. Moreover, American voters, like people everywhere, are creatures of habit so when they find a media resource they like and trust, they will likely avoid viewing other media sources, particularly those that disagree with them. This tendency can create an echo chamber that resonates the same beliefs time and again without regard for any underlying factuality (Weeks et al., 2019).As a result, far too many Americans…...
mlaReferencesAmerican Government, 1st ed. (n.d.). OpenStax. Retrieved from amgov/.Weeks, B. E., Kim, D. H., Hahn, L. B., Diehl, T. H., & Kwak, N. (2019). Hostile Media Perceptions in the Age of Social Media: Following Politicians, Emotions, and Perceptions of Media Bias. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 63(3), 374–392.https://textbooks.whatcom.edu/
Unlike other wars, this was not against the armies of a nation, but a cohort of individuals who were driven by an ideology (Islamism). This army knew no boundaries and did not use conventional tactics of war fare. Even when the Taliban were imprisoned, the media first reasoned and then insisted that the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war applied to these prisoners. Bill Maher, comedian, political commentator and host of the program "Politically Incorrect" called the terrorists "freedom fighters." (Landau, 2009) Many editorials were written excoriating Americans for ill-treatment of these prisoners. Some in the media even averred that these prisoners deserved the same rights guaranteed to those in correctional facilities in the United States. This meant that those imprisoned in the war on Terror could be given specific rights as afforded by the Constitution of the United States of America. The media in its…...
mlaReferences
Acheson, Dean, and Dean Acheson. The Korean War. New York,: Norton, 1971.
Hersh, Seymour. "Torture at Abu Ghraib: American Soldiers Brutalized Iraqis. How Far up Does the Responsibility Go?" The New Yorker May 10, 2004.
Landau, Saul. Freedom Fighters, Terrorists or Schlemiels? . 2009. Available: April 14, 2009.http://www.counterpunch.org/landau01302009.html .
MediaResearch. How the Media Vote. 2009. Mediaresearch.com. Available: April 14, 2009.http://www.mediaresearch.org/biasbasics/biasbasics3.asp.
New Media Implications
The improvement of internet and other technology and its ready availability to more and more people has revolutionized the structure and population of the media around the world. People that would normally be members of the audience have become the creators of news and vice versa. The lines that separate news makers and people that normally would be making news or expected to make news have blurred significantly and in several different ways. There are many examples of countries that could be focused on for this subject but one of the best is the United States.
Media Structure
There are multiple ways in which the structure of news creators has changed and evolved over recent months and years. One way in which the idea regarding audience and news sources has been altered significantly is the corporate structure of the people that are providing the news. The companies that provide the…...
mlaReferences
Babad, E. (2005). The Psychological Price of Media Bias. Journal of Experimental
Psychology. 11 (4), 245-255.
Barkow, J., O'Gorman, R. & Rendell, L. (2012). Are The New Mass Media Subverting
Cultural Transmission. Review of General Psychology. 16 (2), 121-133.
Presence of Media Bias in News Programs
Media
The topic of discussion revolves around bias in media, specifically in news program. The question "Are news reporters and news stations out of control?" warrants further clarification before the paper offers an answer. What exactly is meant by out of control? Are they out of control in what respect? Which news reporters and news stations are we talking about? There is a huge array of news stations around the world. Some are publically funded and some are privately funded. There is a news program on television and online for virtually every topic imaginable including technology, economics, finance, world/current events, health, education, as well as what many of us are familiar with, general news programs that cover local, domestic, and limited international news. Out of these, which are we talking about? The answers to the primary questions that the paper will argue depend on the…...
mlaReferences:
Giles, D. (2003) Media Psychology. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.: Mahway, NJ.
Wahl-Jorgensen, K. & Hanitzsch, T. (eds) (2009) The Handbook of Journalism Studies. Routledge: NY.
Gender Bias in Coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics
Over the past centuries, gender bias has been one of the dominant issues in the Olympic games. hile there has been a noticeable increase in the women participation in the Olympic games, nevertheless media bias has been largely remarkable where men receive more media attentions than female counterparts. In the recent 2016 concluded Olympic game in Rio, media have been found using the sexiest languages to refer the female athletes. Based on the tone of the commentators, it is clear that women athletics are treated differently compared with the male counterpart in sport. The commentators lay emphasize on clothing and physique rather than their abilities and performances.
Analysis of more than 160 million words from academic papers, newspapers, and social media reveals that men are three times mentioned than women referring men as big, strong, fastest, or real. However, women are being disproportionately…...
mlaWorks Cited
Angelini, James R., Paul J. Macarthur, and Andrew C. Billings. "What's The Gendered Story? Vancouver's Prime Time Olympic Glory on NBC." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 56.2 (2012): 261-79. Print.
Billings, Andrew C., James R. Angelini, and Andrea H. Duke. "Gendered Profiles of Olympic History: Sportscaster Dialogue in the 2008 Beijing Olympics." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 54.1 (2010): 9-23. Print.
Bates, Claire. "Is some Olympic commentary sexist?" BBC News Magazine 11 Aug. 2016: 1+. Web. 19 Sept. 2016. .
Media Control in Egypt
The media in Egypt is much more controlled than in many other countries, including the United States. That control began with President Gamal Abdel Nasser, moved through Anwar Sadat, and then on to Hosni Mubarak. During that time, the television and newspapers were strictly controlled, and only what the president wanted people to see was placed in them. There is significant evidence that the control of the media in Egypt was done largely to oppress the people, and to make sure they were only hearing and seeing what the government wanted them to hear and see. Social, political, and economic factors are all significant in the control of the Egyptian media, which many believe should be uncontrolled and independent. That would allow it to provide actual, factual information, instead of only what the government agreed that the people were allowed to know.
Introduction
The Egyptian media is an important…...
mlaReferences
Amin, Hussein, and I- Chapter One: General Status. "Report on the State of the Media in Egypt." The Arab Center for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity Project Title: Strengthening the Rule of Law and Integrity in the Arab World Report on the State of the Media in Egypt Second Draft Author: Dr. Hussein Amin. Arab Rule of Law. (n.d.). Web.
"Egypt." Freedom House. 2012. Web.
Elmasry, Mohamed Hamas. Journalism with Restraint: A Comparative Content Analysis of Independent, Government, and Opposition Newspapers in Pre-Revolution Egypt. 2012. Web.
El Zahed, Hala. "Egyptian Press and the Transition to Democracy." Egyptian Press and the Transition to Democracy: A Study of the Conditions and Challenges Facing National Print Media Post. 2011. Web.
Media Bias in Crime eporting
In what ways do the media construct crime images?
In general, the media have tremendous power to influence public thought and opinion, such as by the choice of stories to report as well as by the specific manner in which they describe offenders, victims, and circumstances. When it comes to crime, the media construct images in various realms, including the relative frequency (and risk) of certain types of crimes and the public expectation about what groups of people are more likely to be offenders or victims of those crimes. For example, by choosing to report crimes featuring a white victim and a black offender, the media can portray one race as being composed of more offenders than the other and one race as being composed of more victims than the other. Similarly, by choosing to report more on particularly gruesome crimes, the media can establish the public…...
mlaReferences
Tate, K. (2014). Illegal Immigrants Would Get Voting Rights, Medicaid, Licenses under
New NY Bill. Breitbart.com. Retrieved online:
Wilkes, D.E. (2007). Unforgivable Racism: Black Men, Criminal Justice. Res Ipsa (Spring Finals Edition) University of Georgia School of Law. Retrieved online: http://www.law.uga.edu/dwilkes_more/57racism.html
As Mokoaleli-Mokoteli et al. (2009) point out, though, previous research has confirmed that while it is accurate to suggest that analysts provide optimistic reports on the majority of the stocks they include in their analytical portfolios, such recommendations do not routinely affect the market in any substantive way. According to these researchers, "After accounting for risk and transaction costs, investors do not earn better than average returns from following analysts' stock recommendations" (Mokoaleli-Mokoteli et al., 2009, p. 388). There is also the matter of the human propensity to be overly optimistic in those situations where there are complex issues involved, a tendency that has also been well documented in the scholarly research (Mokoaleli-Mokoteli et al., 2009). According to Mokoaleli-Mokoteli and his colleagues, "Both analyst overoptimism, as measured by the tone of their report, and conflicts of interest distinguish between new buy and new sell recommendations. This is consistent with…...
mlaReferences
Cao, J. & Kohlbeck, M. (2011). Analyst quality, optimistic bias, and reactions to major news. Journal of Accounting, Auditing & Finance, 26(3), 502 -- 526.
Mokoaleli-Mokoteli, T., Taffler, R.J. & Agarwal, V. (2009, April/May). Behavioural bias and conflicts of interest in analyst stock recommendations. Journal of Business
Finance & Accounting, 36(3) & (4), 384 -- 418.
Media
Injustice and the Media
There was a point in the not-too-distant past when it was reasonable to perceive the media as a force collectively aimed at informing the public, exposing corruption, surfacing scandal and general performing the responsibility of protecting the people's right to know. However, several forces have permeated the so-called 'fourth estate,' diluting the media's acceptance of this responsibility. At one end of the spectrum, the growth in value of cable news such as CNN or MSNBC has created a highly monetized and commercially-motivated form of news. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the increasing visibility of social media such as Facebook and Twitter in spreading news stories has removed much of the accountability or professionalism from our media outlets.
The result is that our media outlets rarely have the motivation to ensure that a well-informed public is made aware of injustice in all its forms. According to the…...
mlaWorks Cited:
Boettger, B. (2012). The Social Responsibility of Social Media. Media Post.
Chiyamwaka, B. (2008). Media Ethics: A Call To Responsible Journalism. Hippo Lodge Liwonde.
Christians, C.G. (2007). Utilitarianism in Media Ethics and Its Discontents. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 22(2-3), 113-131.
Daily Graphic. (2009). Ethical, Responsible Journalism Essential for Media's Success. Modern Ghana.
A college student talking to an old high school friend through Instant Messaging may send that friend a copy of an interesting article that flashed across the screen. News may not be prime reason for using the Internet but still the Internet is vital for transmitting news and opinion, even of dispatches from war torn areas, or disaster afflicted zones where the conventional media cannot penetrate. In ages past, sitting around the television watching the news may have had other purposes than information -- family togetherness, relaxation, as well, but that did not discount the information received.
Furthermore, the Internet provides a plurality of viewpoints that the three networks and the major city newspapers did not and often still do not provide. One could even make a parallel to the plethora of newspapers of the turn of the century, all biased and slanted and somewhat dubious in fact-checking perhaps (but…...
mlaWorks Cited
Mindich, David. Tuned Out: Why Americans under 40 don't follow the news. New York: Oxford Press, 2004
1. The Historical Roots of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Delving into the Long-Standing Tensions and Ethnic Divides
2. The Geopolitical Significance of Ukraine: Examining the Strategic Importance of the Country in the Context of the Conflict
3. The Role of External Actors: Analyzing the Involvement of International Players and their Objectives in the Conflict
4. The Humanitarian Crisis: Exploring the Impact of the Conflict on Civilians, Including Displacement, Loss of Life, and the Need for Humanitarian Assistance
5. The Diplomatic Efforts: Evaluating the Attempts at Ceasefires, Negotiations, and International Mediation Efforts
6. The Economic Consequences: Investigating the Impact of Sanctions, Trade Disruptions, and the Wider Economic....
1. The impact of social media on presidential elections: How has social media changed the way candidates campaign and communicate with the public, and how might this affect the 2024 election?
2. The role of money in politics: How does campaign finance influence the outcome of presidential elections, and what reforms could be implemented to level the playing field for all candidates in 2024?
3. The importance of voter turnout: What factors contribute to low voter turnout in presidential elections, and how can efforts be made to increase participation in the 2024 election?
4. The influence of third party candidates: How have third....
Developing Essay Topics Related to Cultural Identity
Understanding Cultural Identity
Cultural identity refers to the unique characteristics that define an individual or group's belonging to a particular culture or society. It encompasses aspects such as beliefs, language, values, traditions, and customs that shape a person's sense of self and place in the world.
Exploring Cultural Identity through Essay Topics
Essays on cultural identity can delving into various aspects of this multifaceted concept. Here are several potential essay topics that explore cultural identity from different perspectives:
1. The Role of Language in Shaping Cultural Identity
Discuss the ways in which language influences our perception of the....
1. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Understanding the Historical Roots of War
2. A Comparative Study of Israeli and Palestinian Perspectives on the Conflict
3. Exploring the Role of International Intervention in Resolving the Israel-Palestine War
4. The Impact of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict on Regional Stability in the Middle East
5. Analyzing the Human Rights Violations in the Israel-Palestine Conflict
6. The Role of Religion in Fueling the Israeli-Palestinian War: A Comparative Analysis
7. The Socio-Economic Consequences of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict on Palestinian and Israeli Societies
8. Assessing the Prospects for Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Is a Two-State Solution Viable?
9. The Media's Influence on Shaping Public Opinion in....
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