Is the Media Skewing our View?

Mallory Laird
ml704211@ohio.edu

Bias toward any subject is seen everywhere around the world. Individuals having a bias towards a certain topic is not much of an issue. When the bias is coming from our trusted news sources, a problem arises. The audience is supposed to be able to believe and trust what they read in the newspaper. They are supposed to get a "third" side of any story that is un-biased. Unfortunately that is not how the media always works.

In the article "Is Media Bias to blame..." there is an inside look into the lack of media coverage that this particular story is getting. It is the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell and his alleged abortion clinic. The media has typically favored abortion rights, so covering this story would be a conflict of interest. They have bias toward the subject that this certain story surrounds. Is it right of the media to withhold such a controversial story because of their own bias? The answer is no. Media should never be biased toward one issue or the other. Journalists should remain neutral and objective to any situation.

A topic that instantly comes to mind that has to do with media bias and objectivity is the media coverage of the events in Ferguson. Most of what anyone sees today is all the violent protests going on in Ferguson. The peaceful protests or candle light vigils are ignored because the media is being bias and giving the audience what they want to see. Whether it's protestors looting stores or police brutality, the real story is hidden under all of that. The media has a responsibility to the people to remain objective.

In this article about Ferguson the main focus is on the looting, the riots and the number of deaths. The article specifically describes how police were not only being shot at on the ground but also in the air.

Now if the media would have written this story objectively and free of bias, they would have researched more into why the looting was happening and why people felt the need to be violent towards cops. It is evident that the audience is only being given one side to this Ferguson story.

I found the photo below to not only be disturbing but eye opening as well.

http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2014/08/15/exceptional-catch-the-jj-witness-video-eye-witness-audio-of-mike-brown-shooting-sharing-brown-doubled-back-toward-police/

This photo speaks volume to the effect that the media has had on this case. Most of the pictures found online of Michael Brown make him out to be a "thug". These images skew the audiences views of the entire Michael Brown case and even the African American community as a whole. By asking the question "Was Michael Brown Innocent?", with pictures pointing to him holding up gang signs and his middle fingers, the audience is made to believe that he was not innocent because of the way he acted.

The media and journalists have jobs to stay objective when reporting stories, and steer clear of bias. Sometimes our own opinions of stories are revealed through our writings, and that must stop. If the media is only giving the audience one side of the story, then that is the only side that they will believe. The most important job of journalists today is to stay objective and free of bias.