American Mass Media Bias

News reporting is exception reporting. What is different from what happened yesterday or from what is understood to be the status quo is frequently reported as news. MBAs and managers responsible for media and public relations should be cognizant of these natural biases when launching publicity campaigns and handling public relations crises. Consider how business news is reported and synthesized on the broad canvas of political news reporting.

Strong Liberal Bias in American Media

Perhaps you have heard the charge that American mass media exhibit a strong liberal bias. Whether you believe in liberal media prejudice or not, the significant question is whether the editorial view of the media should necessarily parallel the ideology of the American people. The mass media is comprised of working journalists and editorial staff, many of whom serving as gatekeepers determining what news stories get coverage and how they are covered. These groups tend to hold one another in check to some degree but because working journalists often have liberal ideological views, the essential nature of the reporting will be to promote equality over order. Thus, the ideology of the American people, who tend to be more conservative, is often not reflected in the reporting. It is not necessary for the American mass media to reflect precisely the views of the American people, but the mass media has a responsibility to report the news in a balanced fashion. For example, when assailing a conservative ideologue for signing a lucrative book deal, the mass media should also assail a liberal ideologue for the same, etc.

The charge that practicing journalists tend to hold liberal ideological viewpoints is true, but does this alone make the reporting by the mass media reflect a strong liberal bias? Editorial staff members tend to hold conservative ideological viewpoints. Research indicates that mass media outlets are more critical of incumbents and less critical of challengers (Janda, Berry, & Goldman, 1995). Therefore, yes, when covering news stories relating to a relatively conservative national administration the media is liberal. Moreover, when covering a liberal national administration, the media is probably perceived as being more conservative. Hence, Janda, Berry, and Goldman (1995) report that virtually no long-term ideological or partisan bias exists in media coverage. A reasonable conclusion is that the very nature of news reporting encourages the journalist to seek stories that do not conform to the status quo. By its very nature, news is different; it is exception reporting. This phenomenon might explain why during some years blatant liberal treatment of specific news stories to appeal to the audience.

Distortion or Underreporting of Global News

There exists a distinct possibility that American journalists severely distort or underreport global and international news; delivering eyes and ears to advertisers may be an underlying cause. To answer the charge that the American mass media skew or ignore international news, one must look to the private ownership of media outlets. Print and broadcast media are privately owned and therefore must generate a profit to survive in the long-term. Media outlets are dependent upon advertising revenues, not government subsidies, to cover expenses and generate a profit. Advertising rates are tied to the audience size. If one media outlet gears its news coverage for mass audience appeal, then other outlets must also meet this threat or risk losing their audience. Thus, to a large degree, the desire of the audience will dictate the content provided. The problem may not be with distortion or underreporting of international news, but the shear lack of demand for international content.

The balance of coverage of international news and events could be improved as follows:

1. Feature an international news segment;
2. Feature a lead international story in each broadcast at the national and local level;
3. The US FCC could regulate that approximately 20% of news coverage should focus on events outside the country;
4. The gatekeepers in media outlets could voluntarily agree to increase the amount of international news and documentary coverage;
5. Newspapers and Internet/Web sources of news could increase their coverage of international stories without cooperation from the traditional print media, and
6. Refer to terrorists and terrorist organizations as anonymous perpetrators of the events to avoid developing terror brands and feeding the terrorists' psychopathic egos.
   

Reference

Janda, K., Berry, J.M., & Goldman, J. (1995) The challenge of democracy: Government in America, (4th Ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.