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Amisha Chander

Ms. Bedell

CAS 137H

9 November 2020

Media Bias Through the Decades

Many have marked their calendars for November 3rd, 2020 as an end to what has been a

rather bumpy road to one of the most crucial elections in American history. The ongoing

pandemic, the social unrest, and the constant developments affecting daily life have created an

environment for the citizens of the United States of America where they have to inherently rely

on the media to be able to keep up. In times like these, it is easy to get lost among the rumors and

misinformation that fill the atmosphere, making it difficult to get to the real story. Finding the

truth seems to be a core value to the media. An aim to provide truthful messages to the public in

order to give them some satisfaction and answers, directing them towards what is to happen.

People try to find comfort in already traveled paths as they keep going back to what they already

know. They keep revisiting the same outlets- media outlets- that they know will let them hear

what they want to. With the left sticking to CNN and the right staying with Fox, there is little

scope left to bring the two sides of the political spectrum to a common ground consensus to grow

and find the truth. Media, over the last few years, have continuously expanded to become more

biased and more opinionated. In contrast with previous years, media have started becoming less

factual and informative, giving more time to Op-Eds to create content their viewers want as

“American journalism [loses] its objectivity” (Fottrell). The perception of media, which once

started as an informative outlet, have transitioned from trustworthy to biased and partisan over
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the decades as viewers and the government have become more committed to their pre-existing

beliefs, incentivizing the media to take a position.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT:

As the media started to make a televised rise in the twentieth century, new guidelines

were put in place to help navigate the unknown path that lay ahead. One such regulation put in

place was the Fairness Doctrine. This document was introduced in 1949 and suggested that

media channels using public airways must give “[equal] representation over controversial topics”

(Britannica). This would ensure a degree of accountability for the channels in the sense that

multiple perspectives of a controversial issue would be public information and would allow the

viewers to hear the different sides to form a more informed and factual opinion on a story. This

made the news media trustworthy. As elected presidents took office and navigated the roughness

of the twentieth century, the public was met with many scandals in the government. Lies told by

political figures led the media to try and uncover the truth. As the public believed President

Eisenhower’s lies about the U-2 spy plane, President Johnson’s stories about the Vietnam War,

and President Nixon’s dishonesty about Watergate- the public looked to the media as they

uncovered the truth and informed the viewers of the reality of these situations. This led to a

situation where “among the public and the news media- [there was] perhaps too much trust” in

the media (CJR). “Before television network news established settled place in America’s living

rooms… with its cautious, measured, oh-so-sober and soporific tone, there was no such thing “as

the media”” until the 1960’s when the media started to form as a proper concept. Nowadays, the

public consumes media through innumerable outlets throughout the day and biased information

floats around without much accountability. Though tempting to fall victim to it, it is crucial to
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understand that current media bias and tactics also root from the lack of laws and regulations

passed regarding it.

MEDIA LAWS:

Media bias and tactics stem from the lack of legislation and regulations passed regarding

it. As most of the media are privatized, not many hard laws are, currently, in place that could

hold the channels accountable. Apart from libel and slander, news media can produce whatever

content it wishes in order to keep its viewers happy. Contrasted with the Fairness Doctrine, these

are much more lenient times. Cases have been made depicting that media are protected under the

First Amendment of the Bill of Rights as this amendment pertains to the freedom of speech and

press, allowing media to be as biased as it wishes. While the government has not been involved

with this as much, media companies have shown initiative to try and be accountable by hiring

“[an] in-house public critic, the ombudsman. In various ways and formats, those ombudsmen –

down from 40 such positions just a few years ago – tackle complaints, evaluate newsgathering

and arbitrate claims of misreporting, distortion and even the absence of coverage [sic]”

(Policinski). These new hires are supposed to play the roles of the eyes and the ears of the public.

They are responsible for being the moderate viewer and are expected to voice concerns about

what is acceptable and what steps over a line. Varying opinions still exist over whether the

government should act as a “watchdog” and “The idea of press councils to review and judge

press performance still exists, though the real numbers are minuscule” (Policinski). With a

growing partisan viewer base and government, the dependency on the First Amendment has not

only continued, but it has grown. People cling on to the amendment that protects freedom while

having different definitions of just how far that freedom goes. Freedom granted through the First
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Amendment can be kept in check for defamation but “elements of a defamation claim differ from

state to state” (Can Anything Be Done to Hold the Media Accountable without Encroaching on

Free Speech?). Over time, with the growth of the media sector from just broadcast avenues to

cable news channels, the media have shifted significantly in the way it previously conducted

itself.

BROADCAST VERSUS CABLE NEWS:

Media that originated from informational broadcast channels has now transformed into

biased cable news. Back in the twentieth century, when news media had started to grow, limited

news channels were available. Every night, the public turned to the “the Big Three broadcast

television networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC” to get their daily news (Hindman and Wiegand).

These, held responsible under the fairness doctrine, conveyed multiple perspectives of a

controversial issue as they delivered the daily news as they used public airways to convey their

messages. However, now that the public has transitioned from broadcast channels to cable

channels, these cable channels have been able to portray everything they wish, except for libel

and slander. Cable channels have become privatized and are therefore protected from any

government interference through the First Amendment. This allows cable channels to create

content that can bring them profit and therefore allows cable channels such as CNN to be more

biased as compared to the broadcast channels listed. This is hurtful to the overall health of the

nation as it allows these big companies such as CNN, Fox, and MSNBC to spread biased

misinformation- be it intentionally or unintentionally. Study “provides evidence on the

persuasive effects of slanted news and viewers’ taste for like-minded news…[which analyzes]

data on the three big US cable news channels: CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC” (Martin and
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Yurukoglu). Such drastic bias holds the potential to spread misinformation about elections and,

especially in current times, a pandemic. As the country remains divided and shows “how little

common ground there is among partisans today,” having cable news channels that are

increasingly biased leaves the public wary of what outlet is trustworthy (Doherty).

TRUSTWORTHY MEDIA CHANNELS:

Televised cable media channels are biased and lack evidence to support claims making

them untrustworthy. Broadcast news channels, to this day, follow on their non-partisan efforts in

news media and attempt to remain unbiased and trustworthy as has been mentioned by J.J. Pyror

in his article “Who is the Least Biased News Source? Simplifying the News Bias Chart,” where

all three broadcast channels are listed under the trustworthy and reliable section. As for cable

news, many charts are circulated as they tabulate where a certain channel leans or if they are

unbiased. One such chart is shown below.

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Fig 1, Media Bias Chart (Vanessa)

The original three broadcast news channels are grouped under the reliable category

secured by the green dotted line. As the graph branches out more, CNN and Fox News are

sectioned under “Mixed Reliability” followed by MSNBC bordering the “Mixed Reliability”

category and the “Somewhat Unreliable” category. Given these results, it is crucial to keep in

mind what news sources should be looked at when making important personal and governmental

decisions. While these platforms are being categorized for day-to-day purposes, there are news

channels that also make claims without any scientific evidence supporting them. This lack of

proof symbolizes a threat to the decisions governmental officials make every day because even a

sliver of misinformation can affect groundbreaking numbers of people.

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Fig 2, Media Outlet’s Science Coverage Driven Mostly by Evidence? (Berezow)

This graph shows which sources back their claims with proper scientific evidence where,

once again, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC are in a category with a “Mixed Record” (Berezow).

Though science is not the primary goal for these such channels, they are still widespread and

cover a myriad of topics ranging from politics to science. More so, given current times with a

pandemic at large, such outlets cover content on various aspects of the pandemic and the

government’s response without much proof or objectivity. These channels focus on viewership

ratings and produce content that will help keep the viewers coming back for more and aid in

cementing pre-existing views for the public.

MEDIA AUDIENCE:

Over time, the media audience has leaned towards watching channels that confirm their

pre-existing beliefs. The public and the “US political elite have become more polarized over the
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last 40 years” (Baldassarri and Park). With the growing divide and partisanship in the country,

the middle ground and common consensus have continued to diminish. People are adamant about

their beliefs deteriorating the willingness to compromise continues to vanish while sensitivity

over issues and cemented perspectives continue to spread. In an era of division, people choose

news items and sites that fit their own beliefs. As the internet has allowed many news channels to

be able to put out information without many consequences for misinformation, people are able to

find items that support their beliefs. Therein lies the horror of media bias. Many claims either

take an event out of context or do not provide adequate evidence to support said claims. With the

audience choosing such sources, their beliefs continue to grow stronger as they remain partially

hidden from the whole truth. Media consumption has increased and the audience “consume[s]

what they agree with, researchers say” (Hsu). This trend is particularly dangerous for the youth

that is still forming properly informed opinions. As found in research at the Ohio State

University, “[youth] participants spent 36 percent more time reading articles that agreed with

their point of view” (Hsu). While older generations have had the opportunity to see proper news

broadcast through channels that provide multiple perspectives on a controversial issue, present-

day youth has not had the privilege to say the same. The media caters to the audience that it

draws from and continues the vicious cycle of re-affirming pre-existing beliefs while making it

difficult for the audience to formulate the difference between real and fake news.

CONCLUSION:

Real and fake will continue to transform into a daily question for the American public as

they continue to consume media content at higher rates. While highlighting televised bias is

necessary, many other outlets are on the rise. Social media, online newspapers, online articles-
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all hold similar threats as people vocalize increased opinions on controversial topics as compared

to reporting on events that have traceable evidence. With more channels gaining recognition and

traction, airing channels will try to out-do their current efforts in order to keep their viewers.

Though not ideal, it is part of an economic chain of supply and demand that all businesses must

follow. In the twenty-first century, it is difficult to remain unbiased when portraying an issue.

However, the goal is to take steps to overcome an issue since problems are hard to eradicate

head-first. Education and understanding will help address the roots of the problem. Awareness of

the problem will help the audience think twice about what content they choose to consume. With

rapid technological growth, media consumption will only increase in the near future. As per

“Nielsen's Q1 2018 Total Audience Report, the average US adult now spends upwards of 11

hours per day connected to linear and digital media across all devices and platforms” (Marvin).

With the number already so high, it is only sensible to question the continuous content shown

every hour of the day. Current real-time issues focus on the 2020 presidential election.

Politicians and news channels publicizing incoherent and inconsistent false data. With a crucial

decision pending for the millions of Americans tied to this election, such misinformation is

detrimental. As a society, it is imperative to strive to make progress and to better current

standing and to take charge to understand what is correct and what is biased.
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Works Cited

Baldassarri, Delia, and Barum Park. “Was There a Culture War? Partisan Polarization and

Secular Trends in US Public Opinion.” The Journal of Politics, vol. 82, no. 3, July 2020,

pp. 809–827, 10.1086/707306. Accessed 1 Aug. 2020.

Berezow, Alex. “Infographic: The Best and Worst Science News Sites.” American Council on

Science and Health, 5 Mar. 2017, www.acsh.org/news/2017/03/05/infographic-best-and-

worst-science-news-sites-10948.

Can Anything Be Done to Hold the Media Accountable without Encroaching on Free Speech?

Doherty, Carroll. “Key Takeaways on Americans’ Growing Partisan Divide over Political

Values.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 5 Oct. 2017,

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www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/10/05/takeaways-on-americans-growing-partisan-

divide-over-political-values/.

Fottrell, Quentin. “American Journalism Is Suffering from ‘Truth Decay’ — the Media Have

Become More Biased over the Last 30 Years, RAND Study Says.” MarketWatch, 2019,

www.marketwatch.com/story/theres-a-truth-decay-in-american-journalism-study-says-

media-has-become-more-biased-over-the-last-30-years-2019-05-15.

Hindman, Douglas Blanks, and Kenneth Wiegand. “The Big Three’s Prime-Time Decline: A

Technological and Social Context.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol.

52, no. 1, 26 Feb. 2008, pp. 119–135, 10.1080/08838150701820924. Accessed 25 Feb.

2020.

Hsu, Jeremy. “People Choose News That Fits Their Views.” Live Science, Live Science, 7 June

2009, www.livescience.com/3640-people-choose-news-fits-views.html.

Martin, Gregory, and Ali Yurukoglu. “Bias in Cable News | Microeconomic Insights.”

Microeconomic Insights, 8 Jan. 2019, microeconomicinsights.org/bias-in-cable-news/.

Marvin, Rob. “Americans Spend Over 11 Hours Per Day Consuming Media.” PCMAG, 31 July

2018, www.pcmag.com/news/americans-spend-over-11-hours-per-day-consuming-

media#:~:text=According%20to%20Nielsen. Accessed 7 Nov. 2020.

Policinski, Gene. “WHO HOLDS THE NEWS MEDIA ACCOUNTABLE? WE ALL DO.”

Freedom Forum Institute, 15 Aug. 2013,

www.freedomforuminstitute.org/2013/08/15/who-holds-the-news-media-accountable-we-

all-do/.

Pryor, J. J. “Who Is the Least Biased News Source? Simplifying the News Bias Chart.” Medium,

7 Nov. 2020, towardsdatascience.com/how-statistically-biased-is-our-news-

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f28f0fab3cb3. Accessed 7 Nov. 2020.

Ralph, Pat. “These Are the Most and Least Biased News Outlets in the US, According to

Americans.” Business Insider, 2 Sept. 2018, www.businessinsider.com/most-biased-

news-outlets-in-america-cnn-fox-nytimes-2018-8.

Vanessa. “Ad Fontes Media.” Ad Fontes Media, 2018, www.adfontesmedia.com/.