Media Bias and Social Media Bias Can Really Screw Us
Right, left, red, blue — how we choose to consume news will make or break our nation. We’re ramping up to another US Presidential Election. The type and origin of the news we consume will significantly impact what happens on Election Day. I offer you essential tools to navigate the volume and quality of media news so we can all remain calm, keep our sanity, and vote intelligently. That is what we, collectively, want to achieve. INTERNATIONAL FACT-CHECKING DAY is April 2, 2024, and not a moment too soon. We’re all good people, even when our political philosophies don’t match up. We find ourselves in dire situations if we allow unscrupulous organizations, people, and objectives to drive us. I’m advocating for a purposeful, informed, and rational electorate — which means all of us. Let’s look at how hidden media bias can move us in directions we might not want to embrace.Bias goes beyond obvious political leanings. News reports, indeed, any information, can be skewed to a particular partisan bent, but demographic preference also plays in. A news source can play to its constituents, too — women, seniors, professionals, or the wealthy. Neutrality bias happens when a report tries so hard to seem neutral that it leaves out important facts that relate to a particular set of ideas. Social bias relates to gender, income levels, lifestyle, and so forth. No human is capable of being 100% unbiased. Therefore, not all media bias is unethical or harmful. However, concealed bias misleads readers, aiming to sway us without our awareness. Such leaning is intentional, often motivated by profit or power. We become manipulated and divided with hostility. Writers and reporters would be more trustworthy if they eliminated obvious bias from their work. Show of hands — who thinks that’s going to happen? The massive media industry will not eschew profit, power, and influence any time soon; we know…
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