Local Vs. National News and its political bias

Fallon Howard

Fallon.j.howard13@gmail.com

 

The news comes in various forms, whether local, national, or international. Different media outlets can sway a person's opinion and ultimately have a political bias towards their audience. Media outlets tend to report based on their reputation that is perceived by viewers. Some media outlets are very conservative or just leaning to one side. For example, FOX News is considered a conservative outlet and doesn't always bring in other viewpoints, making viewers think they are biased toward certain topics. Many people voice their opinions based on how the media reports, making it hard to trust national news because of the inconsistency with different topics. 

This idea displayed in the article Local News is more trusting than National News mentions, "Americans still believe local news outlets are doing many things right, and the study confirms that six in 10 Americans believe local news organizations are accomplishing most of the key tasks of informing communities." This quote accurately describes how local news is not necessarily leaning towards one side, and therefore is just doing their job by remaining neutral or simply reporting the facts. 

Picture source: CBC Local News Matters

 

Another quote from Local News is more trusted than National News states, "local journalists are seen as more caring(36%), trustworthy (29%), and neutral or unbiased (23%)." Journalists need to be attentive and considerate when reporting news because it can either increase or decrease a viewer's trust in them.  Being neutral is sometimes a good thing because it doesn't mean that you don't have an opinion on it; however, news reporters are trying to avoid controversial issues. 

Have you ever questioned what the role of a journalist is? The role of a journalist is to gather information and report news in an honest and balanced manner. However, it makes it hard for viewers to trust media outlets when politics gets involved. The majority of the news media outlets are concerned with their reputation that they tend to choose sides or give the "politically correct" answer versus just reporting on the facts. This idea displayed in the article The New Media's Role in Politics, mentions, "They have transformed the political-media system, and redefined the role of Journalists. They have redefined the way elections are contested and how citizens engage in politics."

The quote accurately describes how certain media outlets choose to report news that can affect its viewers because of politically biased viewpoints. Its a good rule of thumb to make sure you are inclusive of your audience and not picking sides but rather address everything as a whole with facts. 

Overall, whether you are a journalist or a viewer, you shouldn't let the news sway your opinion if its opinion based content and not factual. By taking accountability to report the facts and being aware of your audience, rather than just trying to "look good," it will give viewers more trust to believe the content you are giving.