Pew Survey: US media bias ranks worst in the world

[whatbogsends]

The media has been skewed since there was media. I never understood why people believe everything fallible, corrupt humans tell them just because of their authoritative position.

However, polls are ridiculously terrible at objectivity. Statistics cannot be objective; they need substantative context. With that said, how many people were polled, and in what areas? What were their religious and political alignment? Do they have children?

Just putting a statistic - whether it is a civilian, CNN, Fox or a professor - is misleading at best. Polls shouldn't dictate the objectivity of your life.

Absolutely.

Moreover, a poll that indicates the public believes there to be significant media bias doesn't imply that the bias aligns with the perceived bias put forth by the OP. A person who distrusts the bias in FoxNews has the same poll answer as the person who distrusts the bias in CNN. Yes, "Fake News" abounds, but CNN isn't the primary source (it is a source, to be sure)

Yes, there's absolutely bias from essentially all outlets. Mainstream media (which includes FoxNews as well as CNN and MSNBC) is extremely pro-establishment first, and then pro a political party (GOP for Fox, Dem for CNN and MSNBC).

 

[Liza B.]

From the "Who wants to talk about 'Fake News'?", files: Pew: US media bias ranks worst in the world

The survey found that just 21 percent of Americans supportive of Trump and Republicans believe the media is fair. But it also found that just 55 percent of those who don’t back Trump also believe the media is not fairly covering politics in the U.S.​

A media type yesterday, as Trump is leaving an MLK event, "Mr. President, are you racist?" Many times.

I mean how dumb a question is that. Even if you believe he is, as if he's going to turn around and say, "You know what? Yes. Yes I am."

Idiotic question. Just really lower than Jr High Newspaper content level.

 

[Gadarene]

A media type yesterday, as Trump is leaving an MLK event, "Mr. President, are you racist?" Many times.

I mean how dumb a question is that. Even if you believe he is, as if he's going to turn around and say, "You know what? Yes. Yes I am."

Idiotic question. Just really lower than Jr High Newspaper content level.

Right? Expecting people to openly admit their own bias is a bit of an ask.

 

[expos4ever]

Yes, "Fake News" abounds, but CNN isn't the primary source (it is a source, to be sure)

I generally agree with your post, but I think organizations like CNN and FOX cannot be called "fake news". Spun news, yes, fake, no.

The real fake news - the outright lies - is exclusively the domain of right-wing places like Info-Wars and Breitbart.

 

[expos4ever]

Idiotic question. Just really lower than Jr High Newspaper content level.

It's a perfectly legitimate question, although we know the answer already.

The role of a free press in a democratic state is to hold the powers to account. You have a racist, and an otherwise clearly incompetent and dangerous person in the highest office in the land. Given this disturbing reality, it is the responsibility of the press to act as a force of moderation and accountability - an important role they have always performed.

Mr. Trump, as experts have noted, is displaying all the behaviours of an authoritarian. And his efforts to stifle and otherwise discredit the important democratic institution that is a free press only underscores this.

What is so shocking and disturbing is that his base are willing accomplices in this textbook example of authoritarian behaviour. Well, they were conned in November 2016 to our collective harm, so perhaps we should not be surprised.

 

[rambot]

A media type yesterday, as Trump is leaving an MLK event, "Mr. President, are you racist?" Many times.

I mean how dumb a question is that. Even if you believe he is, as if he's going to turn around and say, "You know what? Yes. Yes I am."

Idiotic question. Just really lower than Jr High Newspaper content level.

yeah. Racists rarely DO admit theyre racist do they?
Good point to make....here on christian forums.

 

[Liza B.]

It's a perfectly legitimate question, although we know the answer already.

The role of a free press in a democratic state is to hold the powers to account. You have a racist, and an otherwise clearly incompetent and dangerous person in the highest office in the land. Given this disturbing reality, it is the responsibility of the press to act as a force of moderation and accountability - an important role they have always performed.

Mr. Trump, as experts have noted, is displaying all the behaviours of an authoritarian. And his efforts to stifle and otherwise discredit the important democratic institution that is a free press only underscores this.

What is so shocking and disturbing is that his base are willing accomplices in this textbook example of authoritarian behaviour. Well, they were conned in November 2016 to our collective harm, so perhaps we should not be surprised.

THis post is a swamp of hyperbole.

 

[NightHawkeye]

yeah. Racists rarely DO admit theyre racist do they?
Good point to make....here on christian forums.

So ... who in the news media is it that denies being racist.

 

[expos4ever]

THis post is a swamp of hyperbole.

What, specifically, is hyperbole? And please don't evade as you did here:

I disagree because Internet Warriors throw around "evidence please" for the most ridiculous of statements, things everyone might simply take for granted.

To which I responded:

Give us one example.

Just one.

And, of course, no example was forthcoming.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

I think everyone knows that there is bias that exists on both sides.

However, there a few important distinctions that need to be made and aspects that need to be considered when discussing this.

1) Bias doesn't necessarily = "fake"
- one can have a bias and still present factual information, that's vastly different than flat out lying or attaching misleading headlines and misinformation to your articles and coverage. That's why fact checking is such an important aspect.

2) Not all outlets are equally bias, and the fact that bias may exist on one side, doesn't invalidate the opinion of those pointing out misinformation on the other side.

3) Everyone and their mom tries to tries to make a very weak acknowledgement of the bias by attaching the disclaimer *but the other side's worse

4) Information and data accuracy isn't a subjective concept. When comparing media outlets to determine who is more inaccurate, there is a right answer to that question. We know through fact checking and hard data that outlets like PBS, CNN, and NPR have a higher level of accuracy than outlets like Fox, Breitbart, MSNBC, and Salon. If someone is writing a report/article on "What is the sum of 2 + 2?", there are right and wrong answers to that and the leaning of the outlets has no impact on that. The fact that Fox leans right and CNN leans left is irrelevant. If they say "4", they're right, if they saying anything else, they're wrong.

5) People want to conflate the concepts of Accuracy and "Agrees with my position" when rating outlets.

 

[Fantine]

The explosion of online news has allowed any lunatic with financial backing (Steve Bannon, for example, backed by the Mercer family) to get a big soapbox. Those with little financial backing can get started on a shoestring and hope their posts go viral.

News sources aren't "fake" because of their biases. There are "fake" news sites that are both liberal and conservative, and both should be shunned.

I am a liberal, but I notice that Fox News plays it pretty safe. It usually doesn't make inflammatory, unfounded accusations; it just ignores some of the most pertinent stories out there no matter how many sources have verified it. Fox News viewers live in this fantasy world where Trump isn't threatening to bomb North Korea one day and deport and exclude third-world immigrants on the next, using foul, inflammatory language.

As to bias, if our country is in grave danger (and I believe it is), publicizing evidence of that danger isn't "biased," it's patriotic.

 

[Ygrene Imref]

You guys realize all of the fake news stuff is just training the masses to accept the already passed Countering Foreign Propoganda and Disinformation Act. Censorship. Limited speech.

And, the States are using the inherent social ignorance and prejudices of the population to seed support and acceptance.

Now that Fake News is almost a phrase without laughable diction, the entire paradigm is ripe to be rewritten.

I do have two serious questions: 1)has anyone read the CFPAD bill, and 2) does you care?

 

[Ygrene Imref]

Absolutely.

Moreover, a poll that indicates the public believes there to be significant media bias doesn't imply that the bias aligns with the perceived bias put forth by the OP. A person who distrusts the bias in FoxNews has the same poll answer as the person who distrusts the bias in CNN. Yes, "Fake News" abounds, but CNN isn't the primary source (it is a source, to be sure)

Yes, there's absolutely bias from essentially all outlets. Mainstream media (which includes FoxNews as well as CNN and MSNBC) is extremely pro-establishment first, and then pro a political party (GOP for Fox, Dem for CNN and MSNBC).

That "same polling strength" is an often overlooked attribute of interpreting statistics.

There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics.

 

[expos4ever]

1) Bias doesn't necessarily = "fake"
- one can have a bias and still present factual information, that's vastly different than flat out lying or attaching misleading headlines and misinformation to your articles and coverage. That's why fact checking is such an important aspect.

I agree. And at the risk of seeming to be provocative, I suggest it is clearly, in our day at least, the "right" that has the lion's share of the "flat-out" lying.

 

[KCfromNC]

A media type yesterday, as Trump is leaving an MLK event, "Mr. President, are you racist?" Many times.

I mean how dumb a question is that. Even if you believe he is, as if he's going to turn around and say, "You know what? Yes. Yes I am."

Idiotic question. Just really lower than Jr High Newspaper content level.

How is poking a subject known to be susceptible to ill thought out self-destructive responses fake news?

 

[Gadarene]

How is poking a subject known to be susceptible to ill thought out self-destructive responses fake news?

Like Breitbart and new media types were ever above gotcha reporting.

 

[JGG]

yeah. Racists rarely DO admit theyre racist do they?
Good point to make....here on christian forums.

I'm racist. I don't know if I'm a racist. But I've said and done things that would be considered racist.

 

[AirPo]

From the "Who wants to talk about 'Fake News'?", files: Pew: US media bias ranks worst in the world

The survey found that just 21 percent of Americans supportive of Trump and Republicans believe the media is fair. But it also found that just 55 percent of those who don’t back Trump also believe the media is not fairly covering politics in the U.S.​

The people that fall for fake news think the news is fake. Surprise, surprise, surprise!

 

[Gigimo]

Yeah, I was really surprised to learn years ago that they went around with an RF "sniffing" truck to see who had TV on which channel. It was completely different from the US when TV stations still wanted to have viewers. That was back when TV was still completely free in this country, before cable TV became a big thing. Back then, all the broadcast stations were delighted to increase their viewership as they could then increase the price of their commercials. Now, those same stations here expect viewers to pay for watching their commercial laden channels. (I don't.)

I wonder if they're still trying to tax outside water spigots?

 

[NightHawkeye]

I'm racist. I don't know if I'm a racist. But I've said and done things that would be considered racist.

At least you admit it.

Notice the logic there though that a denial would be the same as admitting racism, anyway. The old Catch-22.