If you are here for the first time, my blogs discuss news media bias and how to combat the problem. You can find my previous blogs here. Without further ado, I would like to conclude my series of blogs on the topic.
What is the problem?
News media bias has become an increasingly prevalent issue in the world, especially considering the present political climate. In fact, if one takes at the history of media bias, political affiliation is a major factor in the rise of media bias. Media bias can often cause a misinterpretation of the truth. An example would be how this article from the Hills was able to make its audience believe that Texas’ lift of stay-at-home restrictions was the reason there was an increase in COVID-19 cases. To find more information on this article, you may view my detailed explanation in this blog.
What do people think about the problem?
The Pew Research Center conducted a survey-based research in 2016, and I would like to quickly review what was found. First, the study found that a high of 88% of Americans believe fake news has caused at least some confusion about the basic facts of current events. The confusion is shared across people with different demographic background, including gender, age, education level, income, ethnicity, and political affiliation. Interestingly, higher education does not seem to have an impact on the reduction of confusion. Although most people feel the confusion caused by fake news, they are confident in their abilities in identifying false content. 84% of the respondents feel at least somewhat confident in recognizing fake news. Out of the fake political news people see, it was reported that about half of the respondents believe the news they read is inaccurate while a third of the people say they often see made-up news. Nonetheless, despite having the confidence of recognizing fake news, about a quarter of the participants are reported to have shared fabricated news. Overall, people seem to recognize that there is a problem of media bias and fake news.
How do we solve the problem?
Ideally, news media outlets would generate pieces that are less biased. With less biased articles out there, people will have an easier time absorbing objective information rather than subjective opinions. However, this is likely not a plausible solution financially. In order to sustain the current business model of news media outlets, they must attract a high viewership, so that they may make money from advertisements. Considering the current political climate, if a news media outlet was to be non-biased, it would have less viewership. This is due to the phenomenon of confirmation bias; people like to read what they already believe. Unbiased news is therefore less “agreeable.” Considering that news media outlets are unlikely to change, the solution must focus on how news is being read by the people. To combat media bias, people should read news in a different manner. Specifically, people need to start reading news through the extraction of factual information. The first step to this would be tackling the current education system. With more programs and courses focused on helping students read news without being opinionated, media bias will ultimately have less impact on our society.
