Bias in American media…

[Poophy]

Yes that’s right folks; the people that report your news may be slanting it!

Plzz discuss bias in media and its effect on public opinion

And also, plzzz limit the number of “OMG FOX IS SOOO RIGHT WING” posts, that’s a valid thought, just try to be a little more specific about it…

[Nega-Brent]

Bias? In the media? Surely you jest.

[Battle_Pope]

It's a well known fact there's a bias in the media, it's certainly nothing new.

I think for something like FOX news it turns it into a comedy show because they stick to their biases like white on rice and damn do I and my mom laugh hard when they make a mountain out of a mole hill.

It's definitely not a good thing to have a bias in a thing such as journalism where you're required to just "get the story", and the basic who what when where why how and what's next sort of thing is thrown out the window when the media chooses to add their own personal opinion. I don't think it's possible NOT to have a bias though, because even the story you got (as a journalist) was only based on the people you talked to and your interpretation of the whole story.

Stating the facts is not what people want in the news anymore, and that's also a problem. They want bold words embiggened by a rather exciting story that in actuality has no real value to your daily life. (celebrity news is a fine example)

Journalists basically have to be robots who take in information and put it out without their own thoughts on the subject, and that's the Associated Press' stance, but even they have their faults.

I think its effect on public opinion is rather successfully positive because people buy into it. It gives people the relative feeling that their news source is aligned with their personal opinions. It's a horrible thing, but everyone does it because who wants to read things that go against their opinions?

I think it's important though not to get all your news from one source. I read many sources both online and print newspaper and I find the writers and media groups who do the articles have a rather different take on the same event.

[The Lone Magician]

Of COURSE the media is biased. If it weren't, it'd just be a more boring version a Current Events assignment.

[margot]

right and i think the most important thing is that even if you try to be 100% unbiased you just can't be. When you make a story you have to choose what the keep in and leave out, and what you leave out because from your perspective of the story it's unimportant may make it completely biased. I think the best thing is wikipedia news which at least has a lot of different people reporting on the same story.

[Belial]

There is not media in the US today. Its all been replaced by circus shows.

[Natsu]

There is not media in the US today. Its all been replaced by circus shows.

[Satan]

Is it still true that people who watch the Daily Show are better informed than those who watch CNN? If so, that sums up the media pretty effectively.

[Belial]

Is it still true that people who watch the Daily Show are better informed than those who watch CNN? If so, that sums up the media pretty effectively.

I don't think that was ever true...

What has been said is that the Daily Show is just as informative as most other cable news programs.

[Samurai Drifter]

There is not media in the US today. Its all been replaced by circus shows.

[GummyBearOfDoom]

I'm pretty sure it's not only the US media which is Biast. Maybe more so but not the only biast media. Every media is. Almost every book, television show, "factual information" is biast in some way.

[Crube]

Biased media not only exist in America, but everywhere else in the world too!

[James_xeno]

I think it's safe to say that everybody here agrees that all media everywhere has some kind/level of bias. So the real question becomes, what, if anything, can or should be done about it?

[darkon]

You can't really do anything about it. Bias has always existed in forms of media, and as soon as you come up with regulations then you only allow one form of bias to come through. I prefer our current format of having both right wing and left wing slanted media outlets to something resembling a controlled media personally. I try to get my news from as many outlets as possible because of the simple fact everyone, everywhere has a bias. Yes, I read Fox News. And yes, I read CNN. Yes, I read and currently watch BBC, ITV, and unfortunately 4. I read the free newspapers London has. It's all a matter of going to as many sources as you can to formulate your own opinion about an issue.

[Belial]

I've found the BBC to be pretty unbias, or at least when it comes to American politics.

[margot]

I like NPR..

[Ceraziefish]

Over the summer I listened to NPR all the time. It certainly varied in quality from show to show. Some were awesome, though.