DSouza

Nicole DSouza
Ms. Wilson
HELA 10
19 Feb 2015

American Media Bias

Media bias can exist in a number of ways. It is about which stories the media
covers, the representation of these stories, and how much time is given to reporting all
viewpoints. In recent years, the American media has received criticism from a variety
of sources claiming that the media is not adequately covering all stories. These claims
often encompass opposing viewpoints. The American news media has been accused
of liberal bias, conservative bias, pro-Israeli bias, pro-Hamas bias, and racial bias.
These claims have all been denied, and while it is true that the news media as a whole
does not advocate for any specific agenda, a plethora of evidence exists to show that
individual organizations do. This bias affects the way that Americans think and feel
about an issue and has had real-world results. Those who support the media make the
argument that in recent years, media bias has decreased compared with the flagrant
media bias that existed in this country for decades. While this might be true, the fact
remains that media bias still exists and continues to violate the journalistic standards
that news organizations should uphold.
In early 2012, an unarmed teenager was shot and killed as he walked out of a
convenience store. Despite the fact that this case was nearly identical to the thousands
of other shootings that occur in this country each year, this story received national
attention. As the story came into the public eye, cable news networks rushed to cover
every angle of the story. The original decision made by the Florida prosecutor's office

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to not charge Zimmerman, on the grounds of self-defense, was seen as being centered
on race. In the weeks that followed, many news networks helped vilify Zimmerman in
the eyes of the American public. NBC edited the audio tape of the original 911 call
which Zimmerman made (initially Zimmerman made the call because he believed
Trayvon Martin,the victim, was a thief) to make it sound as though he had disclosed
Martin's race for no reason (Roth). This gave the implication that Zimmerman's
motives in the shooting were racially charged. In actuality, the 911 dispatcher had
inquired. Similarly, a CNN anchor was analyzing some of the audio on his show with
a group of panelists, when they all came to the conclusion that Zimmermann had said
a racial slur under his breath. As would later be repudiated by another CNN reporter,
it turned out that Zimmerman had actually said "punks" (Roth). These two examples
in the media coverage of the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case exemplify the
increasingly present debaucherous interpretations of the American news medias
journalistic standards. Other examples include the recent on-air exaggerations made
by Bill O'Reilly and Brian Williams where they each claim to have had much more
dangerous experiences reporting than they actually did. Nothing is inherently wrong
with a media organization wanting to increase viewership, especially when the
viewers do increase participation, but, because of the negative ramifications, that
cannot be the only standard which the news media is held to. 33% of Fox News
viewers, when surveyed, were under the incorrect impression that Americans had
found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (Mehnoosh). As news organizations, and
not simply entertainment channels, news organizations are tasked with providing
current and honest reporting. When exaggerations and bias start to appear in that
reporting, news organizations fail to meet one of their most basic duties to their
viewers.

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When media organizations are accused of bias, they are most commonly accused of
political bias. Political bias occurs when the views or beliefs of an organization, are
implicated as being better or more correct than another organization's when there is
little or no evidence to support this. Evidence suggests that this practice has been used
by a number of news organizations to advance views across the political spectrum. An
example of this can be seen in how Global Warming is reported on Fox News. Despite
a 97% consensus among scientists that Global Warming is a real problem, only 31%
of Fox News will report this news as such(Nuccitelli). In spite of almost absolute
confirmation of the existence of climate change, Fox News gave the perception of
controversy by having guest speakers on the subject who weren't actually scientists,
inaccurate representations of studies and by giving equal amounts of viewing time to
both sides, which can give the implication that both sides have equally valid points
(Nuccitelli). Another study found that exposure to conservative sources of media
influenced viewers to change their belief in climate change, while exposure to nonconservative media led to increased viewer trust in scientists (Nuccitelli).
Conservative bias in the media leads to an increased belief in the values of
conservative organizations regardless of the evidence, or lack thereof, to support such
claims.

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However, there have also been examples of the media presenting stories with a liberal
bias. One example is in how organizations represent specific candidates. So called
liberal media outlets have been accused of presenting Democratic candidates in a
more positive light than Republican ones and also of championing more democratic
causes (Vatz).It is possible that this bias had any real effects. A 2007 study found that
watching Fox News led to a 0.4 to a 0.7% higher voter turnout for the Republican
Party in 2000 as opposed to the 1996 elections (Mehnoosh). This allows citizens to
hear their own beliefs spoken back to them. Instead of critically assessing their
opinions, people now have the option of having it recited back to them by news
organizations hungry for viewers. This in turn leads to people forming incomplete
opinions on some of the most important events affecting the world today. Much like

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conservative bias, liberal bias leads to an increased belief in liberal values without
necessarily providing sufficient evidence.
Media bias also touches other current events. One example is in reporting on the
Arab-Israeli conflict. The ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel has affected
thousands of lives and naturally both sides are eager to portray their message in a
positive light. But in the American media, a large portion of the media has granted
that opportunity to Israel. For example, in one of the most recent iterations of the
struggle in Gaza, Israeli officials appeared on American news channels four times as
often as Palestinians did. In addition, the American media received wide criticism for
asking questions that upheld the Israeli side. CNN even hired the former Israeli
ambassador to the US as a Middle East analyst. This listless "inclusion" of the
Palestian's side in this issue has not gone completely unnoticed by those in the media.
Recently, an MSNBC contributor publicly reproached the media for its preferential
treatment towards the Israelis. However, this criticism failed to lead to any change in
the reporting of any of the major news networks. Ultimately, the public had the same
Pro-Israeli tinged news reported to them as the always had.
In recent years, news stories about missing or abducted young children have
become somewhat ubiquitous on news networks. These stories have been credited
with helping to find these missing children, as they create public pressure and public
awareness. Unfortunately, when viewed from a more cynical perspective, even these
stories represent media bias. A 2010 study found that despite 33% of missing children
being African American, only 20% of media stories were about them(McKelvy). This
perspective reinforces the idea that white women are victims, and that others must be
viewed with suspicion. This perspective translates into real world effects for the
victims. Less media coverage means fewer people know about the case, which means

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resources such as the TIPS hotline become all but useless, but it also means that
public pressure, sometimes crucial to getting a case solved, isn't there (McKelvy).
This form of media bias, although possibly not committed as consciously, leads to the
negative real world effects for the victims and their families.
For the most part, those who acknowledge media bias acknowledge it fully.
However, there are some who believe that, in comparison, to the earlier periods of this
country, media bias is no longer a problem. Throughout the history of this country
media bias has been a problem. In the past, news organizations would even openly
associate themselves with political parties (First Amendment Center). Now, media
organizations are no longer so open about their political affiliations. But it can be
argued that this lack of transparency has actually made media bias a more urgent
problem than ever before. In the past when "The United States Constitution was
philosophy" and "the Boston Gazette slung mud" (First Amendment Center), people
could at least take in their news skeptically, but now unless something blatantly
politicized is said on-air, the unsuspecting citizen has no reason to doubt the veracity
of their news. This in turn has many negative consequences. At the same time, there is
no reason to believe that media bias has decreased. In addition to a plethora of studies,
the Pew Research Center found that 60% of Americans still believe that media bias
exists (First Amendment Center). So while it might be true that open bias in the media
has decreased, the fact remains the overarching problem still remains.

Media bias is a pervasive part of American Journalism. It represents a shift away

from journalistic integrity and towards a media climate in which viewership is the
most important metric to a news organization. While it is true that the media as an
entity does not promote any one, specific agenda, individual news organizations do,

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and this can lead to a change in the way that current events are viewed. Things such as
the Arab-Israeli conflict, climate change and political candidates are all examples of
news that has been presented with a bias. The problem of media bias is omnipresent
and will have interminable effects unless it is rectified.

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Works Cited
First Amendment Center. "The Myth of Media Bias". First Amendment Center
Website. First Amendment Center, 3 June 2010.Web. 28 Feb 2015
<http://www.firstammendmentcenter.org/the-myth-,of-media-bias,>.
McGreal, Chris. "American Media's New Pro-Israel Bias: The Same Party Line at the
Wrong Time." The Guardian 31 July 2014. The Guardian. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/31/american-media-israel-biasnetanyahu>.
McKelvy, Tara. "Cleveland Abductions: Do White Victims Get More Attention?"
BBC News Magazine 9 May 2013. BBC. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22441124>.
Mehnoosh, H. "The Effects of a Biased News Network." Understand Media.
Understandmedia.com.
Web.
17
Feb.
2015.
<http://www.understandmedia.com/journals-a-publications/sjmle/46-sjmle-vol-5summer-2013/170-the-effects-of-a-biased-news-network>.
Nuccitelli, Dana. "Fox News Found to Be a Major Driving Force behind Global
Warming Denial." The Guardian 8 Aug. 2013. The Guardian. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-percent/2013/aug/08/global-warming-denial-fox-news>.
Nuccitelli, Dana. "Conservative Media Outlets Found Guilty of Biased Global
Warming Coverage." The Guardian 11 Oct. 2013. The Guardian. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-percent/2013/oct/11/climate-change-political-media-ipcc-coverage>.
Reese, Frederick. "A MintPress Analysis Of The Biases In Reporting On Gaza."
MintPress News. MintPress News, 14 July 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.mintpressnews.com/a-mintpress-analysis-of-the-biases-in-reporting-ongaza/194413/>.
Rothman, Noah. "The Media's Zimmermania." Commentary Magazine 1 Sept. 2013.
Print.
Vatz, Richard. "Liberal Media Bias Is beyond Doubt." The Baltimore Sun 18 Mar.
2013. Baltimore Sun. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. <http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-0318/news/bs-ed-liberal-bias-20130315_1_liberal-bias-mainstream-media-left-wingbias>.

Picture Citation
Media Matters for America. Representation of Climate Doubters. Digital image. The
Guardian. 1 Oct. 2013. Web