Media Bias and the Current Situation of Reporting News and Facts in America

Countless Americans tune into their televisions daily to receive their regular dose of news and current events. Unfortunately, much of the information they receive has been distorted in some way, either by someone at the news organization or by the reporters themselves. Across the various news sources that cover world events each day, certain biases are consistently thrust upon the general public. Such biased news coverage has existed since the dawn of news reporting. In this essay, I will present an analysis of media bias and discuss where we stand today.

I will provide my views, as well as the opinions of others, on media bias by exposing facts related to the pro-choice stance of Republican commentator Tomi Lahren.

In reality, biases permeate our culture, whether it is witnessed on social media or news reporting. The first biased report I selected discusses commentator Matt Walsh’s take on Tomi Lahren’s pro-choice stance. Walsh admires Lahren and previously worked at the same company as her. However, he did not understand why she would go on The View and change her stance on abortion publically, especially after previously criticizing liberals for their belief in a fetus’ lack of rights. In his blog post, Walsh mentioned that Lahren had spoken about being pro-life on both her Twitter and Facebook pages.

Biases often lay the foundation for prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. The second report I selected quotes Lahren stating on The View that she is pro-choice. As a conservative who respects the constitution, Lahren believes that the government should not dictate what women should do with their bodies. In her interview, she firmly stated that others should “stay out of my guns, and you can stay out of my body too.”

Signs of bias are not always blatantly visible. However, in Walsh’s blog post, his prejudices against Lahren are flagrantly apparent through his choice of words. He used terms like “hypocrite,” “fake,” and “hater” in reference to Lahren. He also suggested that Lahren expressed her pro-choice opinion on The View in order to please the crowd and attract positive coverage from outlets like Cosmopolitan. Walsh displays a defensive tone and a tinge of jealousy throughout his blog post. He criticizes her repeatedly, insinuating that her actions were merely for attention and that she isn’t a true Republican.

In the second report, during Lahren’s interview, her honesty is apparent. Her word choice and her assertive tone inadvertently reveal some aspects of prejudice. Towards the end of the interview, she staunchly states that while she believes in the government, she also thinks women should have a choice when it comes to their bodies. She firmly asserts that, just as others should “stay out of our guns,” they should also “stay out of our bodies.” She strongly advocates for women to choose what they feel most comfortable doing.

The impact of predispositions on individuals’ lives should not be taken lightly. It should be noted that prejudices can incite conflicts between people, as they suggest both distinctions and discriminatory attitudes towards certain individuals, as illustrated by the two articles I discussed. Both these articles discuss biases concerning pro-choice. One features the video of Tomi Lahren and her stance on pro-choice, while the other involves Matt Walsh’s response to her video and his opinion on the subject. Bias can be discerned in both, based on the tone they use and the words they choose to convey their arguments. The most biased article was Matt Walsh’s, as he was more defensive about her pro-choice stance, even though she is a Republican.

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