Tag Archives: Bias in the Media

Assignment #2B

Corporate interest in a nutshell, is the interest of a company or commercial, which is beneficial to them through the use of empowerment and control. Basically corporate interests control what may be posted in the media, through large companies such as Fox 5 News, ABC News, or the New York Times. These various big companies receive quantities of views, and ratings since they are under corporate interest. Corporate interest effects the information we receive, by us receiving possible biased information. For example, information on Fox 5 News about a given issue, may not reveal the whole story..they may bias their own information, to get more ratings. Since corporate interests include a more political and governmental point of view, the public cannot be viewed as directly as they should be.

An example of an independent article infers how the public would not be the main source for information on an issue. In “ACLU Attorney: Growing number of murders of Trans women can’t be separated from Anti-Trans Laws” by democracy now.org, it is stated how recently a trans-woman was shot. She was shot by her mothers ex-boyfriend who also called her “the devil.” This article used attorney Chase Strangio to explain why murders are occurring. Unfortunately, Strangio concludes that state officials believe “that treating transgender people’ constitutes material cooperation with evil…under Affordable Care Act.” Sadly, due to bias to any information from anything government related, state officials must have also influenced transphobic people to act out. If treatment to trans-women or even trans-men were fair, this would not happen. If their own issues were displayed as positive, and they were portrayed as the good people the public knows them to be, maybe people wouldn’t get the idea to murder them. A Fox 5 News channel say, would not have included this story that may appear to be publicly controversial. Or maybe they would cover it by backing up the state officials, distributing bias to them.

Assignment 2B

I believe that there is bias on everything. The media tries to focus so much on one side. A lot of news channels like Fox News, CNN, etc. tend to lean towards one side. You donā€™t really get an opinion on both of the sides of the story. Currently the news has been focused on presidential campaigns, especially focusing on Donald Trump and all his opinions about immigrants. Corporate Interest affects the information that we receive in another alternative. As we receive information from one another, it could be either biased or unbiased.Ā  It depends on what kind of news (ex: Abc 7, Fox 5) or a source that we receive the information from. The media is trying to persuade us from one individual to another with their opinion, it may be spread around with different answers as a positive or negative sign on one topic. People believe that everything that they see or hear on a news channel is reliable information. The media wants us to believe that everything we see is true and they try toĀ  persuade us into changing the way we view certain things.

Information that we receive being it bias or not has the effect of corporate interest. The media companies, due to their corporate interest to gain, sometimes changes the true meaning of the information being send across. Some sources try to make others look good, while others try to make them look bad. Certain media will make sure Donald Trump is looked as a ā€œactualā€ good candidate but that is bad bias behavior for the people. Since Donald Trump has so much control, he can control the information that is put out there with the power of money to make him look good. Regardless the presidential campaign is for the people, and should stay for the people, so they should be given the right bias information in the media.

In response to the article, ā€œCritical Thinking, Deviant Knowledge and the Alternative Pressā€, written by Thomas Eland in a newsletter in December 2004 for the Minneapolis Community and Technical College, I agree with the authorā€™s assessment of the necessity for having more of an alternative press assessed view of the world in order to have a more balanced, and well-informed society. In turn this would create more of a democratic, more ā€œhands-onā€ approach in making decisions dealing with our government.

I confirm that the manner in which the media is now set up is biased, simply because it only offers a one-sided view of their corporationsā€™ interest collaborated with the interest of the major advertisers. An example of alternative news vs. mainstream media is written in an article, ā€œThese Students are Leading a Movement for Free College in the United Statesā€, written by Rebecca Nathanson for Act Locally on November 15, 2015. The article is shown on the website www.inthesetimes.com. This article addresses the fight for Americans to go to college for free, and how Bernie Sanders has taken up this cause. I have not heard about this in mainstream media. The mainstream media didnā€™t really talk about this.

 

Assignment 2B

Drug addiction and drug use is one of the most debilitating thing that is crippling our nation and people. In my estimation people from all walk of life is affected by it. Yet, it is a plight that is hush, hush in society and in some ways have placed on the back burner. Take for example the rampant and open use of heroine that has escalated in the Central Park area- a place where families visit to spend recreational time with their children. One can safely say that truly people have lost their minds and conscience also because of this madness.

Yet I was truly amazed as I compare and contrast two articles dealing with the drug use subject. Fox News. com elegant heading said “Drug use in America: What the numbers say”. While the independent Sullivan News. com outright heading said “Defeating This Enemy Called Drug Addiction.”. Same topic yet one certainly gets a different emotional response. Main Stream Media – Fox News in my opinion soften what is a plight while independent Sullivan News in my opinion unashamedly called it out. As I continued to read both articles, Fox news used words such as “disorders” or “substance disorders” when addressing Ā drug use. While independent Sullivan News repeating referred to the problem as “drug addiction”. What really left me puzzled after reading both articles is the simple fact that Fox News only used Marijuana as the most commonly used drug. While using statistics from a survey to convince the reader that at some point drug use has and is on the decline.Ā Sullivan News on the other hand went in depth to speak about heroin and it’s effects and pain killers. The article continued to speak about the effects of drug use and addiction that lead people to jail, commit crimes and even murders. Same topic yet the Mains Stream Media cushioned it so well that one may barely concern themselves as to the drug epidemic that is sweeping our country. Affecting individuals at different age and walk of life. The question can be asked “How Bias is That?”