What Is One Major Factor That Can Result in Biased News Stories?

In this article, nosotros discuss the ins and outs of media bias, including how to recognise it, the different types of bias, and the chief issues it causes for media consumers.

Understanding Media Bias

Equally a society, we swallow a lot of different media. To put this into perspective, the global consumer spends over vii.five hours a twenty-four hours with media on boilerplate. We rely on it equally a news source and as cultural entertainment , and we often assume that what nosotros're consuming is pretty reliable.

Nonetheless, this assumption isn't accurate, as media bias is rampant across all of the 3 main media channels: broadcasting, publishing, and virtually definitely the internet. For this reason, it'south smart to learn how to eat media with a more critical center.

It is nigh impossible for an individual or outlet to have no biases whatever, just some media outlets will take this to the extreme and publish extremely biased content. To assistance you better understand media bias, we'll talk you through the most mutual types, why it can be a problem, and offer some advice on how to recognise it more hands.

What is bias?

Looking at the definition of bias more generally, it is the trend to lean towards or against someone or something. The direction in which yous lean can be influenced past factors such as your groundwork, civilization and personal experiences. Sometimes, bias is something you're aware of, and this is known as explicit bias, merely implicit or unconscious bias is something you don't realise yous take.

But what tin biases actually do? Well, they tin can crusade y'all to typecast people or groups, even if this social categorisation is not factually authentic or reflective of your witting views. For case, if a teacher has an unconscious bias that boys are better at sports than girls, they might always pick a boy to be the team captain, even if they might outwardly feel that girls and boys are equally equally talented and enthusiastic near sports.

An unconscious bias similar this would probably be the consequence of gender stereotypes that say boys like sports while girls prefer art, and societal norms that place higher value on male person competitive sports than their female person equivalent. There are many biases similar this that people unconsciously act on, but this doesn't mean that they're bad people. Instead, biases grade over our lifetimes, and we have to fully recognise them in order to tackle them.

What is the definition of media bias?

Now nosotros've discussed what bias is, we tin can look more specifically at the topic at hand. Media bias relates to the bias or perceived bias of journalists and news organisations in mass media. It normally implies a widespread bias that impacts the standard of journalism, rather than bias in the perspective of 1 journalist or commodity.

Media bias tin can impact the selection of events and stories that become published, the perspective from which they're written, and the linguistic communication chosen to tell them.

In near countries, media bias is thought to either lean to the left or right, meaning information technology either favours liberal or conservative politics. In some countries, media bias tin go so far as to completely reverberate the ethics of the governing body, for example, in Democratic people's republic of korea. In cases such equally this, media bias essentially becomes propaganda .

Although a lot of media contains unconscious bias, where journalists may be met with practical limitations to neutrality such every bit lack of access to all the facts, media also regularly contains explicit bias. This is where media outlets deliberately try to paint a sure prototype of an upshot, group or private to achieve their desired outcome. This consequence may be politically fueled, or information technology could just be an attempt to brand more than money.

To learn more about media bias, you can take our Understanding Media: Introduction to Media Literacy and Representation form by the University of Newcastle Australia, where you'll develop your media literacy and acquire a range of analytical approaches you tin use to empathize and interpret media.

What are the different types of media bias?

There are countless different types of media bias, but here nosotros delve into more particular nearly the almost common kinds. We sourced this information from AllSides , a media outlet that provides media bias ratings, balanced news and various perspectives.

Spin. This is a type of media bias where the announcer strays abroad from objective fact and instead puts a sure spin on a story that dramatises it or places it out of context.
Bias past omission. If a media outlet chooses not to write certain stories, or they leave out relevant information or perspectives on purpose, this is bias by omission.
Unsubstantiated claims. This is when the journalist makes claims without using data or show to evidence their indicate; this can ofttimes be seen in article headlines.
Sensationalism. A tactic often used by tabloid journalists, sensationalism is when data is presented in a shocking or over-dramatic way to lure in readers. Also known as click-bait.
Opinions presented equally fact. This is when journalists suggest that subjective statements are factual, or nowadays their opinions, assumptions or behavior equally objective.
Slant. When journalists only tell part of a story and try to play upwardly one particular angle, this is known every bit camber.
Advert hominem. This is when journalists make a personal set on against an individual rather than addressing their position in the argument or result at hand.
Mind reading. Sometimes, journalists will write assumptions about what members of the public or individuals are thinking, and these assumptions are often incorrect.
Flawed logic. This is when journalists arrive at conclusions that are not justified past any of their previous points or whatsoever evidence, in an effort to misrepresent the facts.
Bias by placement. Media outlets can reveal biases through which stories they deem most important. Which is the front end page story and which is just a small paragraph at the back?
Omission of source attribution. Where a announcer sources their story is very of import, then if they omit their sources, they might not exist presenting reliable information.

Other contributors to media bias

There are other factors at play that can touch on your consumption of media and lead to you consuming biased information or fifty-fifty forming new biases. In our Media Literacy open up stride by the University of Southampton, experts delve into 2 of the principal things you should expect out for:

Echo chambers

If you're in a cave and you shout out, all you're going to hear is your ain voice echoing back to you. This is substantially how virtual echo chambers work – when your online community is made up of similar-minded people, you will generally keep hearing your own opinions being reflected back to you.

This is why it tin exist productive to have broad virtual networks. Post-obit people with different views on social media and reading unlike news sources can allow you to get out of the echo sleeping accommodation and exist exposed to a broader range of perspectives.

The act of staying within our repeat chambers is similar to the concept of confirmation bias, where we only picket or listen to media that confirms our views and opinions. While it might be more than comfy to swallow media that demonstrates the same interests and worldview as yourself, information technology'due south not very conducive to learning.

Filter bubbles

Another effect related to social media , nosotros enter filter bubbles when auto learning algorithms deployed by social media platforms similar Facebook select the information that we see based on our past behaviour. This ways that we are unknowingly viewing filtered information most of the fourth dimension, fifty-fifty though we might think that we're getting the full pic.

Seeing filtered information and becoming isolated from disagreeable stories means that we become more biased in our worldview. We might believe that more than people share the same politics as u.s.a. than is actually true, and we might be less willing to accept productive conversations with those who disagree with our opinions.

How to recognise media bias

There are several ways you can recognise media bias. FAIR , the national media watch group in the US, suggests that there are numerous questions you should ask yourself when consuming media in social club to find biases. We've detailed some of the most important questions below:

Who are the sources? In the article you lot're reading, where is the journalist getting their sources from? Are all of the sources corporate and government-based, or are in that location any progressive, public interest, minority or female voices existence referenced?
Is in that location a lack of diverseness? Looking at a detail media outlet, how diverse is their workforce compared to the communities they serve? Do they have producers, editors and managers of different races, genders and sexualities? To exist fairly representative, they should have diverse people in leadership positions.
From whose point of view is the media reported? Perspective is everything. Often, political coverage focuses on how certain issues affect politicians or corporations. In order to exist off-white, media outlets must present the point of view of those near affected by an outcome.
Are there double standards? Check for double standards by finding a parallel example by the same media company or citing similar stories that were covered in a different manner. For example, are similar stories about men and women written in the aforementioned way?
Is there a total lack of context? Stories without context can frequently paint a simulated picture of society or certain groups within it. For example, criminal offence may be going up in a certain area because poverty is increasing, only this connection might not be explained.

Are media bias charts reliable?

If y'all're interested in checking for media bias in popular media outlets, there are several media bias charts available to take a wait at. Two of the most popular media bias charts are the AllSides chart and the Ad Fontes nautical chart .

While the AllSides chart focuses solely on political bias, placing sources in one of five categories moving from left-wing to correct-wing, the Ad Fontes chart as well measures reliability. It looks at factors such every bit whether an outlet uses fabricated data or original reporting to assistance measure how reliable a source they are.

Both media bias charts get skillful reviews, though it is already clear that the Ad Fontes chart paints a better overall picture of the reliability of news sources. After all, political bias isn't the just factor we need to consider.

Both charts accept been formed from reviews past analysts of dissimilar professions and political leanings, with multiple articles for each outlet being reviewed, and averages being taken from individuals. Of course, it'due south incommunicable for either chart to exist completely unbiased and neutral, but both companies have made solid efforts to ensure that the charts are as reliable as possible.

What are the main issues with media bias?

At that place are several big reasons why media bias is a problem. It's pretty much inevitable to a certain extent, peculiarly when it's unconscious, only this doesn't hateful we should completely ignore the issues it causes. Nosotros list the main negative consequences of media bias beneath:

Information technology can lead to censorship

If a media outlet consistently chooses to emit stories that it doesn't align with, this can exist a class of censorship. Equally a event, consumers of that media outlet could be getting a distorted view of sure issues.

It can exist politically motivated

In our Journalism and the public sphere open footstep by the University of Strathclyde, experts discuss the way in which political coverage in the media is ofttimes in collusion with government communication professionals and political parties. This means that depending on which newspaper you read, you'll exist getting a different version of events.

Extreme forms can mutate into propaganda

If a media outlet is extremely biased in favour of the governing torso, the news that they present may non just be inaccurate, but might brainwash consumers into blindly accepting government decisions.

If this extreme bias occurs in government materials or in the single chief media outlet delivering information, this could be considered propaganda. You tin can larn more almost Propaganda and Ideology in Everyday Life in our class.

It can cause divisions in society

Considering left-wing media and right-fly media discuss the same issues in different ways, people can go divided on what to exercise or feel about them. More than generally, biased reporting can be an unfair representation of people or groups in society, which can lead to negative stereotypes and poor treatment.

Is media bias ever okay?

We've already discussed how media bias is inevitable to a sure extent. But does this mean information technology's always okay? Nathan Robinson, from the Guardian, argues that media bias is okay if information technology'due south honest . A journalist might be biased one way or another, merely if they're sharing factual information with evidence from reliable sources to back it upward, and so they are painting a relatively trustworthy representation of an issue.

The most of import thing, Robinson suggests, is for the journalist to exist honest about their ain biases and political leanings. After all, he says, "there can't be such a thing every bit a neutral journalist", simply "if nosotros show an awareness of our own political leanings, it actually makes us more trustworthy than if we're in denial nearly them".

In improver, experts from the University of Strathclyde in our open step point out that well-informed, professional journalists ought to share their opinions despite potential biases existing. If the mediated public sphere is an open and inclusive space for alter, then people should be able to share their opinions about contentious topics, fifty-fifty if they're not neutral.

Final thoughts

Hopefully, this has been a helpful discussion about media bias, and has left you feeling more empowered to recognise biases in media outlets and yourself. Critical thinking in the information age is an important skill to master, as we're continually bombarded with news and data on social media, television set, radio and in print media.

If y'all'd like to strop your critical thinking skills even more, our blog post on disquisitional and artistic thinking volition help you to analyse arguments, evaluate evidence, and distinguish between fact and opinion.

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Source: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/understanding-media-bias-how-credible-are-your-sources