Media Bias in Our World

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Allison Brunenmeister

ab015511@ohio.edu

As journalists, we are expected to follow a strict code of ethics. These codes of ethics lay the groundwork for us when deciding what we should report on, and how we should report on it. One commonly used code is referred to as the” seek the truth and report it”. The Society of Professional Journalist’s Code of Ethics states that: “ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information”.

So why is it that we still see bias in our news stories today? News stations and reporters are picking and choosing certain news stories to run for their own benefit. How do we fix this to gain back our reputation as honest and fair journalists? 

What is going on?

Now do not get me wrong, I know that reporters must consider the potential ratings when choosing which stories to run. My concern centers on reporters and stations having personal biases for stories.  Huffington Post is known as a liberal news organization and Fox News is known as a conservative news organization. But both of these media outlets must draw the line when reporting on what you believe versus reporting on the truth.

An example of this is the media coverage for the case against Kermit Gosnell.  In April 2013, Gosnell was accused of having a “house of horrors” abortion clinic. 

After reading more about the story, I was amazed to have not known about this.  It is reported that the case got little coverage on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS. Why is this? A Washington Post article states one of the reasons is that the story “threatens the abortion rights agenda”. Do we now report on issues that only fit into our own "agenda"? I do not think so.

 Painting the picture

Media bias can also be as simple as portraying a victim or suspect in a different light.  A great example of this is seen on 2 magazine covers featuring OJ Simpson. 

  

                                   Source: Google Imagines

On the left is the cover of Time magazine during the time of his trial. On the right is the cover of Newsweek magazine. Both of these covers paint a completely different picture in our minds about how we should feel about OJ Simpson.

What to do?

So what do we do? We cannot limit our reporting to only stories that reflect our values.  We also cannot paint the picture of the subject of a story to change the public’s opinion on it.  We can simply look for guidance from the RTDNA code of ethics: “Professional electronic journalists should operate as trustees of the public, seek the truth, report it fairly and with integrity and independence, and stand accountable for their actions.”