On Media Bias Analysis

922 Words4 Pages
Political Bias in the News Media is a pressing problem in today's society; this is exemplified by a lack of credibility in certain news outlets that are openly apparent about their bias. Nicholas Kristof states, in "On Media Bias" (2012), that media bias is less of a problem in political coverage (e.g. campaigns & political debates) then it is on issues of social problems. Kristof goes on to explain how for some issues, journalists are more easily able to maneuver through or interact with certain groups, thus leading them to form or publish ideas which may not represent the whole issue. Paul Farhi wrote an article "How biased are the media, really?" in which he cites a Pew Poll where 77% of those surveyed say that the news favors one side over…show more content…
Gentzkow then explores an alternative way to examine media bias based upon the notion that news outlets want to build their reputation as a provider of accurate and credible information. Gentzkow suggests that feedback along with increased competition can help limit bias in reporting to consumers. The goal of news media is to be seen as credible, reliable and accurate, if they are not seen as such it could damage their reputation. Therefore with increased competition to check them bias becomes less prolific due to the increase chance of their embellishments being discovered. I will use the conflict theory perspective to explain news media bias. News media bias is a dire, but not always recognized problem, in which the masses are primed to think a certain way. This thought process is a direct result of news media bias in their reporting. News Outlets tend to be more concerned at making a "profit" by promoting specific agendas or "bias" in portrayal of their information which results in gaining and retaining
Open Document