Preserving the integrity of journalism in today’s society is crucial to maintaining a well-informed and properly educated populous. This quality of journalism has been sullied in the past by personal bias and opinions that are reinforced by false or misinformed articles. The latest threat to this integrity manifests in the form of a lack of research. Throughout history, American news media has evolved and changed parallel to American society. As technology advanced, information became more readily available to the public. With the advent of faster transmission of data came a more competitive news media culture. The focus of news sources became the speed at which they could relay information, rather than the accuracy of said information. Some
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Despite this, the subject of bias in news media has been extensively researched by many in the world of academia. Typically, those who conduct this research seek to prove that, when a consumer of news determines how biased a news source is, the audience’s perception of the news outlet’s bias is more pertinent than the actual impact of the bias on the journalism. The most influential news sources are those on television. Local stations and “all-day” news organizations are the most prominent news outlets. These include CNN, MSNBC, FNC, CSPAN and other mainstream television news sources. Many people believe that mainstream media bias exists. As Joel Turner explains, “… preliminary evidence demonstrates that at least 35% of the American public perceive FNC as being overtly conservative and at least 26% perceive CNN as being liberally biased,” (442). Some news organizations are generally thought to be politically and ideologically biased, but when non-partisan researchers inspect the validity of these sources, they often find that most of the public perception of bias is not based on anything factual. “Research on the 1984 through 1996 presidential elections indicate that winning candidates generally garner more favorable than unfavorable coverage, although the difference is not dramatic,” (Eveland …show more content…
The main focus of newspaper journalists, such as the New York Times and Chicago Times, is to get the news to the public as fast as possible. This differs from how many people have perceived news sources in the past, but things have changed. Newspaper journalists have moved their main focus online to appeal to a younger market, and because of this, the focus of many online journalists has become speed, rather than research. Online journalists have made countless fact checking errors in recent memory which have led to misinformation being spread. Although this is a major downside, the speed at which they can get important information to the public is valuable. The quicker a news organization can inform the public, the less damage a particular hazard can
Despite this, the subject of bias in news media has been extensively researched by many in the world of academia. Typically, those who conduct this research seek to prove that, when a consumer of news determines how biased a news source is, the audience’s perception of the news outlet’s bias is more pertinent than the actual impact of the bias on the journalism. The most influential news sources are those on television. Local stations and “all-day” news organizations are the most prominent news outlets. These include CNN, MSNBC, FNC, CSPAN and other mainstream television news sources. Many people believe that mainstream media bias exists. As Joel Turner explains, “… preliminary evidence demonstrates that at least 35% of the American public perceive FNC as being overtly conservative and at least 26% perceive CNN as being liberally biased,” (442). Some news organizations are generally thought to be politically and ideologically biased, but when non-partisan researchers inspect the validity of these sources, they often find that most of the public perception of bias is not based on anything factual. “Research on the 1984 through 1996 presidential elections indicate that winning candidates generally garner more favorable than unfavorable coverage, although the difference is not dramatic,” (Eveland …show more content…
The main focus of newspaper journalists, such as the New York Times and Chicago Times, is to get the news to the public as fast as possible. This differs from how many people have perceived news sources in the past, but things have changed. Newspaper journalists have moved their main focus online to appeal to a younger market, and because of this, the focus of many online journalists has become speed, rather than research. Online journalists have made countless fact checking errors in recent memory which have led to misinformation being spread. Although this is a major downside, the speed at which they can get important information to the public is valuable. The quicker a news organization can inform the public, the less damage a particular hazard can