Deductive essays. Deductive essay example.

News media bias reduces the quality of journalism, which leads to distrust among news consumers. The U. S. news media is not exception, as all news outlets are prejudiced toward eye-catching stories. This effect is harmful for democracy.

Liberal bias may reflect a deliberate choice by the editor or reporter. It may also arise from ordinary laziness, however, it takes a lot of effort to create balanced stories on a consecutive basis. For an experienced reader it’s not so hard to notice stories that are biased. There are some forms in which bias occurs.

The most common form is bias by commission. This pattern includes passing along errors or assumptions which help to support a certain point of view. Reporters are usually limited in time and space, however, their work is supposed to provide equal time lengths to present arguments of both sides of a problem. If only one perspective is presented, then the article is biased.

Omission concerns ignoring facts, which tend to refute particular claims or support certain beliefs. To catch such form of bias a reader must be knowledgeable about the subject and familiar with various points of view.

Another form of bias is emphasising news stories which coincide with the agenda of a particular party and ignoring stories which contradict another party’s agenda. Usually story selection occurs when an outlet decides to publish a study released by a certain group, ignoring at the same time studies on the same topic by other groups.

News stories can be also placed in a particular way to underestimate information, which supports another party. A story may occupy the half of the front page, or it may be buried on the last page with the horoscopes and obituaries. News editors pay much attention to stories placement. They decide, which news are most important to put them on the front page, so it is easy to read when the newspaper is on the rack.

A reporter can select different sources to support one view over another. The truth is, the phrase “most experts believe” often means, “I believe”, because he or she can choose any expert, so it does not always add to the authority of a story.

Under the deadline pressure a reporter may simply miss the understanding of the conservative point of view well enough to reveal it in the story. For example, if the conservative expert doesn’t call back on time, his or her opinion on the issue will not be included into the story.

Studies show that journalists stand to the left of the American centre. Conservatives are like alien species in most newsrooms. Accumulation of left-of-centre beliefs in the newsroom leads to an unilateral viewpoint. So, reporters are unfamiliar with conservative position.

As a result, conservatives are sure, that the news media do not cover them fairly. However, democracy needs a reliable news media. That’s why, journalists need to better understand conservatives.

There are no valid excuses for bias in journalism. Because a journalist’s job is to create a balanced story.

References:

1. Alterman E. What liberal media? The truth about bias and the news. New York: Basic Books, 2004.
2. Barro, Robert J. The Liberal Media: It’s No Myth. BusinessWeek, 06.14.2004.
3. Bennett, L. News: The politics of illusion. New York: Longman, 2006.
4. Druckman, J. N., Parkin, M. The impact of media bias: How editorial slant affects voters. Journal of Politics, 67, 1030–1049, 2005.
5. Goldberg, B. Bias: A CBS insider exposes how the media distort the news. New York: Perennial Library, 2003.
6. Lakoff, G. Moral politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.
7. Sutter, D. Political Bias in the News: A Skeptical Examination. Un- published book manuscript, University of Oklahoma, 2000.