According to a survey of 290 Liberty students, 93% said they felt most news organizations were biased, 34% of those saying mainstream media can’t be trusted. We at Beyond Liberty hope to explain why this mistrust exists and where Liberty students can find reliable information in this profound political age.
Some, not all, criticism toward media is warranted. A 2013 Indiana University survey reports 7% of journalists identify as Republican. However, contrary to claims that the media is a leftist mouthpiece, relatively few journalists identify as Democrat (28%), while a majority identify as Independent (50%)—15% identify as “Other”.
Yet, many journalists’ personal views unintentionally seep into their writing. In the last election, this contributed to most of Trump’s coverage being negative. Should you still trust the next publication of a negative story about Trump? The short answer is yes.
The day after Trump’s inauguration, Press Secretary Sean Spicer criticized journalists for reporting Obama’s 2009 inauguration crowd was larger than Trump’s, saying Trump’s had the highest attendance. The problem? Spicer’s claims were blatantly false.
In times like these, we must seek information from outlets specialized at providing high-quality, accurate information, even if these outlets aren’t perfect. Even though modern news organizations have teams dedicated to ensuring the veracity of all articles, some politicians still believe news sources are out to get them or their party. The truth is, news sources aren’t biased toward one specific party or against a person. News sources aren’t against anything, but they are in favor of profit.
Thus, mainstream news oversimplifies situations, condemning a party or person, trivializing an important issue, or blowing up a minor event. This is because the nature of news coverage focuses not on substance but on audience engagement (matching the audience’s bias), so ideologies or people aren’t systematically targeted.
However, this means news sources pick apart events for details that fit schemas of existing stereotypes or convictions to generate a superficial presentation that can be relayed without boring the viewer. Ultimately, news media distorts reality for profit.
Another channel through which this distortion occurs is social media. On social media, you follow/like things that fit your political leaning, and social media sites track your activity so they can present you things you like, so you’ll stay on their site. Thus, when you scroll through Twitter, you’re greeted with news from an author matching your party affiliation, or infographics about how the opposing party’s “wrongdoings.” Social media is reflective bubble of your beliefs, shielding you from other perspectives and ideas.
Thus, to combat bias bubbles, one must go forth and access information that is readily available, read from different perspectives (or diversify your social circle), and research the validity of speculative claims. Above all else, keep reading Beyond Liberty!