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Biased News Organizations or Biased Readers: Where Does It Start and How Does It End?

Emma Ingram

NUAMES

English 2015 Intermediate College Writing and Research

Rebecca Miner

October 12th, 2022

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Sources of information can be extremely difficult to pinpoint. Consider the example of

Romeo and Juliet. It’s reasonable to assume that the feud between the Montagues and Capulets

began on a specific day at a specific place. However, because of its irrelevance to the subject of

his play, Shakespear never reveals this to his audience. Consider, for a moment, that a possible

and very likely beginning to the feud centered around a misunderstanding between the parties.

This would mean that both are to blame for the violent and continuous conflict. With this in

mind, let’s now consider media bias and where it comes from. News organizations usually take a

lot of the blame for spreading bias. Companies like CNN and Fox News are known for

incorporating a lot of personal opinions into their articles. However, are they the only culprits of

bias? The answer is simply “no.” Readers input their own biased thoughts into the equation as

they decide how to consume information. And as much as producers and consumers would like

to believe that they are on completely different sides of the story, they both share an egocentric

desire to be noticed. Let’s now consider the unique interaction between news organizations and

readers.

Bias in the media tends to be more obvious and much more frequently discussed than that

of bias from readers. Understandably so. In fact, events like the Spanish-American War have

been speculated to have begun due to overly dramatic headlines. Although there’s no solid

evidence to prove that Pulitzer and Hearst started such a war using only the power of the press, it

does cause one to stop and think (Kennedy, 2019). With all of the power that news corporations

hold, is it smart to trust them? Well, first of all, it’s wise to note that news outlets spend a lot of

time, money, and resources building their “brand.” More than sharing information, their main

focus is making a profit. It’s like how bakeries are concerned with making delicious cookies and
 Biased News Organizations or Biased Readers: Where Does It Start and How Does It End? 3

cakes, but ultimately they are a business, and the extrinsic factor of receiving an income is what

motivates them to produce high quality goods. Yet, even within a company it’s not all black and

white. Values vary from reporter to reporter. Some are more likely to unveil their opinions as

doctrine, while others are intent on reporting pure facts. Those set on deceit should be avoided,

as they care more about fulfilling a secret agenda than they do about taking care of their

customers. Sadly, there is no quick trick to finding a trustworthy source. It all takes patience and

an earnest effort to verify credibility. One source of information that’s easily accessible and

focused on educating readers on the presence of media bias is called AllSides. They proudly

proclaim that their mission is not to rate accuracy in the media because they’re not the “arbiters

of truth – and in a democracy, no news should be” (AllSides, 2021). What’s interesting is how

these men and women relate the foundation of media dispersion to our country’s very core: its

government. As a democratic republic, our constitution outlines the importance of giving the

people a voice. In fact, the first amendment to the constitution emphasizes how freedom of

speech and of the press need to be protected. With this in mind, one might assume we have a

beautiful system for communicating information; however, the reality is quite the opposite. With

a large supply of people comes a never-ending pit of thoughts and ideas. It is impossible to

expect to sort through all of this. Thankfully, that’s not what’s required of consumers. Their role

is to filter out the noisiest, most opinionated news that claims to service true information

untouched by bias. These sources can then be thrown out the window, and readers can start

focusing on sorting through reliable news. Yet, no matter how factually based a news report may

appear, remember that it’s not immune to bias. Even if an article sounds completely objective,
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the topic at hand had to have been chosen by someone for some reason, and that shows the

presence of bias. So, if we all have bias, then why can’t we admit it outright?

It all goes back to a desire for attention and the relentless attitude of self preservation.

Consumers need to realize that the thoughts and ideas that shape who they are also impact what

information they seek out. “If we want something to be true, we hardwire that belief into our

thinking as fact, accepting what supports it and rejecting anything that does not, however

compelling it may be” (McGinley, 2019). I’ve seen this manifested in my own life many times.

For example, I’ve been able to convince myself that a really cute guy likes me simply because

he’s nice to me and we talk a lot. Then, when I see him with other girls, doing the same things, I

convince myself that those interactions mean nothing. I want to believe that we have a “special

connection” – even though there’s a high probability that he’s just a very friendly person.

Looking back on those naive thoughts of mine intrigues me. All I had to do to find out the truth

was take things a step further and ask him how he felt. It’s as simple as that. Yet, simple is not

synonymous with easy. Is this why people show hesitation in looking at news that doesn’t align

with their prejudices? Are they too lazy to put forth the effort? It seems like they know that

absorbing the opposing side’s information will stretch their knowledge. And to anyone who’s not

a gymnast, stretching isn’t a very thrilling activity. So, how does one turn this lack of enthusiasm

into a passion – or at least become slightly more interested in finding the facts? Well, instigators

of the “We the Voters'' campaign (a nonpartisan group of filmmakers formed in 2016 set out to

petition more voters to participate in elections) recommend that you “read something you

violently disagree with once a week” (Gunpowder and Sky, 2016). This may sound controversial

to some, but it's a necessity. It’s not enough to sit around and wait for the truth to come knocking
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on the front door. Progress requires action. And thankfully, no one has to fight this media bias

battle alone. There are always the mainstream sources, like AllSides, that make it easier to

compare bias from the left, the right, and the center. Additionally, friends and family can also

encourage open minds, as long as conversations remain safe and uplifting. Avoid big issues with

family members like “Uncle Mark” and “cousin Nancy” who always ruin family dinners with

their constant bickering. No one can handle being around such negativity for very long. It’s too

draining. The solution is simple: pick people to talk to who also want to learn from a different

perspective and who can challenge your thinking.

In the end, it’s up to each individual person to decide how much bias they’re exposed to.

The goal should be to stop pointing fingers and placing blame. We all know that the media has

bias, and that bias comes from the human beings who run those corporations, and from the

people who support the industry (which includes almost all active members of society). Both

news organizations and people feed off of each other to either promote or obstruct bias. All

people and organizations have bias, so the goal should not be to avoid it. It should be to seek

honesty. Once we can understand and interpret bias, we will finally be able to have conversations

regarding certain “hot topics” that have needed to take place for a long time. Openly admitting

our biases and using an academic approach when analyzing fountains of information will help us

find the facts that are flowing from all sides, and it’ll give us the tools we need to pick up on the

tone of human nature with all its biases.

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References

AllSides. (2021, August 27). Why AllSides doesn't rate media accuracy.

https://www.allsides.com/blog/why-allsides-doesn-t-rate-media-accuracy

[Gunpowder and Sky]. (2016, August 20). We the voters - mediaocracy [Video]. Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/180771524?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=3595739

Kennedy, L. (2019, August 21). Did Yellow Journalism Fuel the Outbreak of the

Spanish-American War? History.

https://www.history.com/news/spanish-american-war-yellow-journalism-hearst-pulitzer

McGinley, S. (2019, March 18). Opinion: Why facts don't matter. NH Journal.

https://www.insidesources.com/opinion-why-facts-dont-matter/