Bias is now a core part of the media today. It shapes how news outlets produce and present news. Once there is bias in a story, it will change how readers understand it. 

A clear example is the 2000 US Presidential Election. Many newsrooms prematurely said that Al Gore won the state of Florida and the entire election. The narrative changed. They later said that George W. Bush won the state of Florida. They finally declared the state “too close to call.”

Studies later revealed that all the states that they said Gore won were actually called 14 to 18 minutes faster than those that Bush won. 

Media bias matters, but it is not always beneficial to society. In fact, it has consequences. Media bias has been shown to cause polarisation in society; it affects the credibility of reported news and how democracy is held accountable.

What Does Media Bias Mean 

Media outlets focus on a particular piece of information and ignore the others to push a narrative. This narrative shapes the perception of readers and is done with an agenda.

Here are some of the channels through which the media can be biased in their reporting or stories:

Reporting Selective Information: In this case, journalists choose to focus on specific topics. It is done at the expense of others. In this case, facts are either highlighted or omitted, creating a knowledge gap for the public.

Type of Language Used: Words carry profound meaning. When the media wants to take a biased route, they know just how to use the correct language to work in their favour.

Strong words, often emotional or high in emotional weight, are used to their advantage, influencing the perspectives of viewers and readers.

Framing: Biases are often achieved through framing. Whether it’s framing the whole story or even twisting the headlines to give it a particular narrative, framing often works.

Framing presents information to the general public in a way that influences perception. It is done through the choice of words or even the angle from which a message is presented.

Source Selection: This is another way biases are formed. Source selection is the process of searching for and selecting witnesses or documents to support their claim. It is a case where sources with similar views are used to push a narrative and shape readers’ and consumers’ perspectives.

Structural Causes of Bias

It takes more than just the media to create biased information. Different structures influence media bias. It could be due to higher bodies and authorities, business gains, and so much more, since the media itself is profit-oriented and wants to gain traction and traffic.

Here are some structures that cause bias in the media

Ownership: Ownership plays a role in causing media biases. This is because the government owns a large part of the media, and it is essential to know because, when it comes to political and socioeconomic matters, the government plays a role in the information put out.

The information they allow is not the only thing that matters in this case; what matters is how it was presented, what was presented, and why it was presented. 

Commercialism: One of the things the media is created for is profitability. There’s a lot of revenue for media outlets when large companies and great institutions fund them through advertising. This, in turn, affects the information they put out there concerning these organisations.

Commercialism causes media bias. If a company that uses the media to advertise its products does something that poses a threat to society, the media could tweak the information to avoid losing its funding.

Profitability: Sensationalism causes bias. Because the media has to do with traction and numbers to stay relevant, a media outlet could choose to focus on what’s trending, on what they know readers and viewers want to see. This causes other relevant information to be ignored in favor of what’s driving more traction.

Source Selection: When the media chooses to focus or rely only on a particular source for information, their bias unintentionally tilts in that direction. The best way to tackle this case is to give it a balanced approach. Balanced journalism works when sources are drawn from different sectors, such as the government, industry organizations, and the community, to provide a complete view and produce unbiased information.

Historical Examples

Indeed, media bias didn’t happen overnight. It took some decades and worked into different sectors of the economy. Some of which are: 

The Hurricane Katrina Coverage: This media coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was biased in so many ways. It was a disaster that destroyed homes, lives, and properties. What was meant to be media coverage turned out to be a game of classism and racism.

This coverage distorted public perception a lot. Black victims were made to be seen as ‘looters’ while white survivors were said to be ‘finding food’.

In this coverage, the government was not held accountable, and then the blame was shifted to the residents. Chaos and violence were used to draw viewers’ attention. That event was later found to be false, and the claims were all exaggerated.

The Iraq War: The 2003 Iraq War was marred by media bias. The government influenced the media to paint a narrative that distorted people’s perceptions. There was no room for objectivity in this case, as the media favoured the military’s perspective and, instead of questioning the cause of the war, supported it.

In this coverage, civilian casualties were ignored alongside anti-war voices. These were taken out of the picture to the bare minimum, while pro-war voices and perspectives were given more attention, thereby shaping how people saw the situation.

Italian Television News: The structure behind the bias, which occurred from 2001 to 2007, was simply a matter of ownership and funding. The Prime Minister at the time owned key media outlets. Media coverage favoured the ruling government and limited opposition voices by reducing investigative reporting.

This biased coverage often diluted serious political matters and weakened government scrutiny by blending news with entertainment. That way, there was no room for emotional attachment, and information was received on a surface level.

Impact on Public Trust

Journalism is built on trust, and journalists are supposed to serve as society’s watchdogs. But what happens when these watchdogs continually put out biased information? It creates distrust. Distrust in the government, distrust in the media, and distrust even among the people.

Some impacts of media bias on public trust are:

Lack of Trust: The impact of media bias on public trust is simply a lack of confidence. When bias is constantly dished out as information, journalism loses credibility, and every news item is questioned by its readers. The News is no longer seen as a channel of public service but as just another organisation chasing profitability and interest.

As a result of media bias, information becomes so watered down that even truthful reports and facts are seen as opinions and, in most cases, even doubted. This is how media bias affects public trust.

Misinformation: It’s not enough that citizens aren’t fully informed; now there’s widespread unverified information. This can be chaotic. Media bias is a breeding ground for chaos, driven by false information, and when trusted institutions fail, conspiracy theories tend to emerge.

That’s not all. Propaganda becomes the order of the day, and information sources are reduced to social media influencers with no facts to back their claims.

Lack of Civic Engagement: When public trust in the media is lost, it leads to a lack of citizen engagement. Emotions come with media consumption, and so when readers can’t tell when the truth is being said, it leads to political apathy. People don’t turn out to vote anymore. This is because they feel they’re being sold lies.

Polarization is on the Rise: When bias is prevalent in the news, people tend to selectively believe what they consume in the media. They tilt toward what confirms their existing views. This leads to polarization in society. Facts, even when they begin to lose power, are considered fake if they don’t align with their view, and suspicion rises.

Identifying Bias as a Reader

You don’t need to be trained professionally for you to identify media bias. As a reader with a bit of media literacy, bias in media reports can be easily identified to avoid clouding perception. Some of these are:

Language Observation: A reader can easily spot bias through the language of the reporter. How the news outlet describes a certain class, race, or group of people can give them away. Reporters can be excessively negative, overly positive, or neutral with their words. Each of these can easily give away their standpoint. 

Check Multiple Sources: One way to confirm whether media coverage is a fact or just strongly biased is to check multiple sources. Comparison is a strong tool against bias. Comparing media coverage across multiple outlets helps readers notice differences in tone, language, and even emphasis.

When comparing these sources, it is also essential to examine their origins. Confirm the journalist’s track record and the publishing company’s, and check who owns the media outlets, etc. These tips help in confirming information.

Check for Visual Bias: Biases aren’t only written. They can also be portrayed visually, such as in pictures and videos, because visuals strongly influence how information is received. Images chosen may evoke fear, sympathy, or even anger, all of which shape readers’ perspectives.

Even in political settings, especially in political settings, visuals are used to make officials appear heroic, strong, compassionate, or even, in rare cases, devoid of empathy. Whatever image or video is used in a media report is precisely what the reporter wants readers to believe. Visuals shape perspective.

Importance of Balanced Journalism 

Balanced journalism is known as fair journalism. This journalism encourages fairness and multiple perspectives, where all sides are given equal attention, and reports are factual, not selective, one-sided, or even biased. It is very beneficial, and some of these benefits include:

Public Trust: When journalism is fair and factual, when there’s a balance to all sides of a story or report, when the news is not tilted or skewed to favour a particular agenda, then trust is built. Trust is built between the citizens, the media, and the government. Fair journalism enhances public trust.

This is also beneficial because when there’s trust in the media and readers are well informed, people tend to make more informed decisions. Informed decisions make for a healthy society.

It Strengthens Democracy: Balanced reporting holds the government accountable. When journalism is fair and all sides are given equal attention, it helps strengthen democracy and encourages people to become more involved in democratic activities. There’s a greater turnout during voting, and readers make informed decisions about who they want in power. Civic engagements are also on the rise, and all of this strengthens democracy.

Government accountability through balanced reporting makes the government serve citizens better, shapes policies in favour of society, and puts power in check.

Prevent Misinformation and Protect Minorities: Misinformation and propaganda are often biased, whereas balanced journalism addresses both sides. It ensures that controversies, fake news, and unverified information are reduced to the barest minimum. It also gives a fair view of the minority.

Balanced reporting shapes how the lower classes, the immigrants, and even the minority groups are treated and perceived. It creates a safe environment for everyone in society. All classes, races, groups, etc., are respectfully and fairly represented through fair journalism. 

Conclusion

Bias is a media narrative twist that should not go unchecked. It has the power to shape people’s perspectives, and so should be tackled. Readers are encouraged to be media-literate and to identify biases when they arise. It is essential to seek balanced information and stay informed.