Are Our Expectations Causing Media Bias
BY ANDONI ZERVOGLOS '22
The existence of media bias is a well-known fact, and in today's world, it's almost expected. The most popular news networks show blatant political biases, either right-leaning, like Fox, or left-leaning, like MSNBC. In fact, according to Deadline, no large centrist broadcasting service even breaks the ten most-watched network list. Our own prejudices contribute to this trend. We ourselves are partisan, and as an unsurprising result, our biases have just as large an impact on the broadcasts as the news anchors themselves.
In the wake of the Capitol Building attacks in January, Fox News released the headline “Democratic House members call for Trump impeachment, removal amid Capitol protest,” while the New York Times trumpeted their headline “Trump Incites Rioters.” Both sources illustrate glaring bias. Fox News refuses to acknowledge the true nature of the riot, while New York Times swiftly places blame on the former president.
Media bias itself does not inflict much harm since differing opinions maintain a balanced country, but the real problem arises when people solely read from a specific perspective. Viewer statistics highlight that conservatives typically tune into conservative news while liberals listen to liberal sources. Truthfully, people like hearing political ideas that mirror their own. As a result, two distinct groups of people believe two completely different narratives. In the example of the Capitol Building attacks specifically, one group denies any fault for the Capitol riots, claiming they were merely “protests,'' while the other argues that Trump, who had incited this insurrection against his country, had committed treason.
Evidently, media bias immeasurably impacts our perception of the world, so news sources generally receive the most blame. It's not like we write the news stories, right?
In actuality, viewers influence news sources to tailor reports to their expectations. People prefer ideologies that are closer to their own and, thus, watch media that reflect their biases. So when presented with ideas that conflict with the expected perspective, viewers often respond with backlash. Amidst the chaotic transfer of power after the 2020 election, viewers criticized Fox News’ Tucker Carlson when he said something unexpected: “Like [the Republican Party], [the Democrats have] not seen a single piece of evidence showing that software changed votes.” Up until that point, Fox News strongly supported election fraud claims. Thus, when Carlson reported these facts, conservatives flooded the channel with backlash, and Carlson lost views and faced hate because it was not what his audience wanted to hear. Since viewers have the capability to watch any network, they hold the power to stop supporting a news source upon hearing an undesirable statement. Consequently, the media continues adhering to their audience’s expectations to maintain viewership and profit.
And while it is true that there are some impartial news outlets, impartiality clearly comes at a cost. As mentioned earlier, there is no impartial cable network that even breaks into the “Deadlines 2020 Top Cable News Networks” list. Impartiality costs those sources viewers. Thus, top news sources will continue to publish biased reports to appease the expectations that their audiences have for them. They have picked their niche, and there is little they can do to change it.
Opinions are a central part of our government and culture, and maintaining them is critical to preventing one ideology from dominating in an Orwellian scenario. The problem is that people demonize others’ opinions. According to a Pew study, Republicans typically only trust conservative or centrist sources, while Democrats trust liberal news sources. Thus, it becomes not an issue of listening to others, but rather an issue of trust. People don't just disagree with other opinions—expecting the opposing side’s news to be false, they actively distrust it and dismiss the different perspective. Beginning with viewer expectations influencing the media, the media further solidifies our prejudices, fueling a self-destructive cycle of endless partisan bias.
In the wake of the Capitol Building attacks in January, Fox News released the headline “Democratic House members call for Trump impeachment, removal amid Capitol protest,” while the New York Times trumpeted their headline “Trump Incites Rioters.” Both sources illustrate glaring bias. Fox News refuses to acknowledge the true nature of the riot, while New York Times swiftly places blame on the former president.
Media bias itself does not inflict much harm since differing opinions maintain a balanced country, but the real problem arises when people solely read from a specific perspective. Viewer statistics highlight that conservatives typically tune into conservative news while liberals listen to liberal sources. Truthfully, people like hearing political ideas that mirror their own. As a result, two distinct groups of people believe two completely different narratives. In the example of the Capitol Building attacks specifically, one group denies any fault for the Capitol riots, claiming they were merely “protests,'' while the other argues that Trump, who had incited this insurrection against his country, had committed treason.
Evidently, media bias immeasurably impacts our perception of the world, so news sources generally receive the most blame. It's not like we write the news stories, right?
In actuality, viewers influence news sources to tailor reports to their expectations. People prefer ideologies that are closer to their own and, thus, watch media that reflect their biases. So when presented with ideas that conflict with the expected perspective, viewers often respond with backlash. Amidst the chaotic transfer of power after the 2020 election, viewers criticized Fox News’ Tucker Carlson when he said something unexpected: “Like [the Republican Party], [the Democrats have] not seen a single piece of evidence showing that software changed votes.” Up until that point, Fox News strongly supported election fraud claims. Thus, when Carlson reported these facts, conservatives flooded the channel with backlash, and Carlson lost views and faced hate because it was not what his audience wanted to hear. Since viewers have the capability to watch any network, they hold the power to stop supporting a news source upon hearing an undesirable statement. Consequently, the media continues adhering to their audience’s expectations to maintain viewership and profit.
And while it is true that there are some impartial news outlets, impartiality clearly comes at a cost. As mentioned earlier, there is no impartial cable network that even breaks into the “Deadlines 2020 Top Cable News Networks” list. Impartiality costs those sources viewers. Thus, top news sources will continue to publish biased reports to appease the expectations that their audiences have for them. They have picked their niche, and there is little they can do to change it.
Opinions are a central part of our government and culture, and maintaining them is critical to preventing one ideology from dominating in an Orwellian scenario. The problem is that people demonize others’ opinions. According to a Pew study, Republicans typically only trust conservative or centrist sources, while Democrats trust liberal news sources. Thus, it becomes not an issue of listening to others, but rather an issue of trust. People don't just disagree with other opinions—expecting the opposing side’s news to be false, they actively distrust it and dismiss the different perspective. Beginning with viewer expectations influencing the media, the media further solidifies our prejudices, fueling a self-destructive cycle of endless partisan bias.
