In the USA, media bias is a significant factor altering how people think and how they see political acts. In this essay, I intend to talk about what media bias means, examine as well as explore two types of media bias techniques or biases, and also compare two main-stream media articles that discuss the same political issue, highlighting the bias and the tips of the media bias in public opinion with the aid of the latest survey data.
Define Media Bias
Media bias is the well-known phenomenon of showing parts of society that might be dislikable or controversial in a more positive light. Media makes up the minds of people who believe something they read or watch, ignoring the possibility of being lied to. We could witness it in a variety of formats, such as selective bias, framing bias, partisan bias, and sensationalism.
Types of Bias or Bias Strategies
Partisan Bias: From an unbiased perspective, the partisan bias problem exists when news media organizations make their coverage align with political parties or ideologies (Flamino et al., 2021). To open up, let us select a liberal press that will honestly work with some essential particulars of democratic plans, whereas the Republican policies would instead not get its attention.
Selection bias: The broadcaster’s inadvertent yet conscious decision on what to include or exclude from the news creates the balance of information, and it may displease those who disagree with the content of the stories. The described bias has no clear pathways (Flamino et al., 2023). Bias can be observed in approaching a particular subject more deeply than others, becoming relegated to the margins of coverage, or not being discussed at all.
Comparison of Two Current Event News Articles
Article 1: “Democrats Push for Voting Rights Legislation Amid Republican Opposition”
The first article, possibly from a liberal-leaning source like The New York Times, underscores Democratic endeavors to enhance voting rights while portraying Republican resistance as obstructionist. It might delve into the historical backdrop of voter suppression, casting Democrats as defenders of democracy (US Democrats Promise New Push for Voting Rights Legislation, n.d.). Through this lens, the article could spotlight the significance of safeguarding voting rights and position Democrats as advocates for equitable electoral processes.
Article 2: “Republicans Criticize the Democrat-Backed Voting Rights Bill as a Federal Overreach”
The article, which would be conservative-leaning, would probably come from news outlets such as Fox News and justifiably complement the Republican critique of the Democratic sponsor law promulgating the same. Such a decision reinforces the anxiety about federal government violations and clarifies that state power in elections is the most significant thing to insulate (Fandos, 2021). Through the demonstration of such views, the article plans to reach the hearts of conservative audiences whose right to statehood would be protected against what they see as an unwarranted federal invasion.
Analysis
They are selective, as each belonging to the rival may only feature the view of one party in the dispute or narrate an event from a particular angle. First, the video is about Democrats’ projects and Republican’s findings around Democrats’ projects. The first representative is a Republican who executes the assigned activities and the other looks at how the Republicans under review distinguish the Democrats. Further, this can be framed knowing that the issue may be framed, using the demonstration of selection bias, indicating that the evidence that supports the argument is presented simultaneously without conflicting evidence.
Impact of Media Bias on Public Opinion
The political bias of media rests at the core of broadcasting public opinion and its power in the creation of images and sparking issues about public issues and leaders. The contemporary media, which provide further information, will relay this information to the audience well so that they are affirmed by the details in the news. By way of example, the surveys previously mentioned may present an opposing standpoint of Democrats and Republicans. Thus, the polarized media came into existence.
Conclusion
To sum up, the issue of media bias is the most devastating factor in American politics, and it determines how society defines and understands the issues. Examining two articles that convey the same subject, one can notice these outlines of biases and be capable of explaining their influence on public opinion. Familiarizing with and critically thinking about media bias afterward leads to the development of people ready to participate in democracy and reinforce a proper dialogue between citizens.
References
“US Democrats Promise New Push for Voting Rights Legislation,” n.d. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/11/us-democrats-renew-push-for-voting-rights-legislation.
Flamino, J., Galeazzi, A., Feldman, S., Macy, M. W., Cross, B., Zhou, Z., … & Szymanski, B. K. (2023). Political polarization of news media and influencers on Twitter in the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(6), 904-916.
Fandos, N. (2021, June 23). Republicans Block Voting Rights Bill, dealing a blow to Biden and Democrats. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/us/politics/filibuster-voting-rights.html
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