Same Story, Skewed Accounts

 True knowledge and intelligence demands a certain level of skepticism because if we believed everything we’re told, we really don’t know anything at all. As educated individuals, we constantly question what we are told to believe. Information and knowledge is power but the wrong information and intentionally skewed presentation of data may be the most influential. With the internet at our disposal, our ability to research and gather information is almost too easy but how reliable is the information we’re presented? It is common sense that a well-developed opinion requires credible evidence and supporting data, but how credible are the “credible” sources we depend on to make decisions, form opinions, and culture ideas?

Nothing triggers a debate over news media bias quite like a good old-fashion presidential election. As MSNBC and Fox News have openly staked out their respective liberal and conservative territory, it is no secret to the public that bias is inevitable even in the most bipartisan issue. In fact, according to a survey conducted but the Pew Research Center in fall of 2012, seventy-seven percent of those surveyed believe that the media “tend to favor one side.”

In their highly acclaimed 2004 research, professors of economics Dr. Tim Groseclose of UCLA and Dr. Jeff Milyo of Stanford University developed a method to quantitatively measure the bias of major media sources. Long story short, by ranking well-known politicians’ level of liberalism and conservatism (100 for most liberal and 0 for most conservative), Groseclose and Milyo were able to calibrate the political bias of 20 of America’s major media outlets. Summarized in the table below with 18 of the 20 major sources of news scoring left of center, the final report concluded that the “results show a strong liberal bias.”

Newspaper rankings can be seen here.

In another very interesting research by two University of Chicago economists, Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse Shapiro, found that there are subtle but very intentional differences regarding the rhetoric politicians choose to use depending on their political party, “for instance, conservatives often say ‘illegal aliens’ when liberal prefers ‘undocumented workers’…what liberals refer to as ‘the estate tax,’ conservative call ‘the death tax’.” Considering the very different connotations between the phrases, with “illegal aliens” implying that immigrants are unwanted outsiders and “undocumented workers” implying unfortunate but hard working individuals, it is not hard to determine each political party’s stance on the issue of illegal immigration. With other examples such as one party calling the same war the “war in Iraq” and another the “global war on terror”, a newspaper or new media’s seemingly innocent decision to use certain phrases over other actually subtly points to their political bias.

While there are those who believe the media to be very politically biased, there are still those who argue that the media is more centralist than most would think. According to a Washington Post article, there are five main reasons why people today believe that the media is biased.

1. Internet Access
   With technology, people have more access to more sources of news therefore our chances of reading biased information has increased.
2. Media WatchdogsAn entire industry exists just to point out “media’s alleged failings”
3. Entertainment vs. NewsThere’s very distinct difference between a cable channel’s news reports versus its news programs which exist specifically for the sake of entertainment. News reports themselves are actually quite objective while the programs are very biased. 
4. We know more and can second-guessThe more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know.
5. People believe their preferred news sources are objective and fair while others are notWe like to hear that our opinions are right and the other side is wrong.

Regardless of the whether or not media bias has increased, we make a conscious (or sometimes unconsciously) on how we want information to be presented to us. It is our right to vote but with that right comes the responsibility to be informed and well-educated. Media bias will become very evident in the months leading up to the presidential election so it is extremely important to be aware of how the media is choosing to present information. And most of all, it is important for us to be aware of our own personal