Introduction
While today many information sources are present on the Internet, it is easy to find biases and, therefore, make conclusions implied in the news article from the beginning. Before, when media was mostly on paper, there was less available information, but biases were not so widespread too. There were several trusted media which did their best to maintain the reputation. Conversely, today there is a large number of left-, center-, and right-wing media websites, each of which presents information from its own point of view. Modern media represents a powerful tool to manipulate public opinion, and it is crucial to elucidate biases to prevent these manipulations. This essay will show that in most cases, these biases do not show in media explicitly, and thus, a reader needs to recognize them.
Media Biases Types
There are several types of media biases, and while good news reporters should know and avoid them, they may use them instead to present information from a certain point of view. The six most common types of biases are omission, source and story selection, placement, labeling, and spin (Student News Daily). Bias by omission occurs when an article leaves some relevant information, pretending that it does not exist. Source and story selection are examples of biases when reporters select only certain kinds of sources, such as right- or left-wing sources, ignoring other points of view. Placement and labeling biases occur when reporters allocate an article to the place where it is most visible or label certain people as “expert” to make some point of view more sound. Last, spin biases are based on interpretations: an article interprets some event or policy in one way, ignoring other possible interpretations.
Media Biases Examples
An excellent example of media biases can be shown in three articles describing one single event: an accident on the Norfolk Southern railroad near East Palestine, Ohio. Figure 1 shows three headings from various resources, all dedicated to the same theme, but one can see how different they present it, even by titles (AllSlides). All three articles will be described below to demonstrate how various media can be biased.
In the article from ABC News, the fact is presented in a way that Norfolk Southern’s CEO faces grilling from a Senate, being harshly accused in this calamity. Despite mentioning that CEO apologized and made efforts to improve the situation, the article focuses on that Norfolk Southern experienced a large number of accidents and should be thoroughly examined to prevent them in the future (Pecorin and Pezenik). As ABC News is considered a left-wing media, its article is overly critical of Norfolk Southern and clearly shows the condemnation of its actions.
The article of Trains.com, while having a similar title, consists primarily of facts and directly presents Norfolk Southern’s CEO dialogue with the Senate members. The article focuses on flaws that are present in the company, such as a lack of protection from toxic compounds, which made the accident possible (Stephens). It also describes Senate’s requirements for the company to improve safety, such as installing 200 additional hotbox detectors and ensuring paid sick days to all workers.
Finally, Fox Business, which presents business news and information and has a clear right-wing leaning, says nothing about the grilling but emphasizes that the CEO apologized to Senate for the calamity. The article begins by describing the CEO’s speech, apologizes, and promises to help everyone who suffered from the railroad incident (Wallace). It is mentioned that more than $20 million is already spent to help families located in East Palestine. At the end of the article, Senate investigations are mentioned, but neither CEO’s dialog with them nor their requirements are described.
Discussion
Word choice, fact present, and the general new source reputation all contribute to the biases that can easily be found in modern media. One can see biases by omission in all three mentioned articles (Student News Daily). Fox Business, a right-wing media favoring large businesses, mentioned mainly the CEO’s speech and that he helped suffering families with more than $20 million, only shortly noting that Senate initiated investigations (Wallace). Conversely, being left-wing media, ABC News is most critical toward Norfolk Southern and its CEO, emphasizing the company’s flaws and not mentioning the $20 million spent to support the damaged community (Pecorin and Pezenik). Trains.com is the most objective article, showing the existing data and the dialog between CEO and Senate members, letting readers make their own opinion (Stephens). Thus, while a media can reduce bias through the conscientious work of its employees, the risk of biases will still be present, depending on the point of view from which the information is presented.
Conclusion
Media employees can work to reduce biases, describe various points of view explicitly, and present readers with objective facts from which they can make conclusions by themselves. However, it is hard to notice all possible biases, and it is easy to concentrate on one point of view and choose sources and stories selectively, ignoring others. In addition, there are many interpretations of a single event, and each media can select its own interpretation, which is essential to remember. The example of three articles describing the Norfolk Southern railroad incident shows how different attitudes and fact collections can be. They range from condemning the company for the incident to showing that it does its best to help victims and prevent future calamities. It is important to know which biases can be present and how different information can be shown to elucidate biases and perceive all related data and as many points of view as possible.
Works Cited
AllSlides. “Norfolk Southern CEO Apologizes for Ohio Train Crash in Senate Hearing.” AllSides, Web.
Pecorin, Allison, and Sasha Pezenik. “Norfolk Southern CEO Faces Senate Grilling over Toxic Train Derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.” ABC News, 2023, Web.
Stephens, Bill. “Senate Committee Grills Norfolk Southern CEO about East Palestine Derailment.” Trains, 2023, Web.
Student News Daily. “Media Bias.” Student News Daily, 2021, Web.
Wallace, Danielle. “Norfolk Southern CEO Apologizes for East Palestine, Ohio, Train Derailment in Senate Testimony.” FOXBusiness, Web.