The Spread of Media Bias in Society

Media bias occurs when a specific firm or information provider utilizes a prejudiced or partial viewpoint in electronic media. There are several ways this can manifest. A common form is bias by omission, where part of a situation or story is left unexplained. If one aspect of the story is not presented, the audience will not have the opportunity to form its own judgement and is forced to rely on the given narrative. This is particularly common in political news, as certain newspapers or organizations are associated with political parties and may attempt to represent the opposing party negatively.

Another manifestation of media bias is when a reporter uses sources that share a similar viewpoint, neglecting to provide both supporting and opposing perspectives.

CNN (Cable News Network) is regarded as a left-leaning news organization, exhibiting media bias towards liberal causes through story selection and political affiliations. CNN is known for its emotive language and provocative headlines used to influence its audience. Time Warner, which owns CNN, was a substantial contributor to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Regular commentators on CNN include Anderson Cooper, Van Jones, and Chris Cuomo. While CNN generally relies on credible journalists and reporters, some of their talk show guests have failed fact-checks by Politifact.

Fox News is perceived as a right-leaning news organization, demonstrating media bias towards conservative causes. Established in 1996 by its founding CEO Roger Ailes, a former Republican political consultant, Fox News approaches issues from a conservative standpoint. The network has several television personalities who are supporters of President Trump, including Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Tomi Lahren. Fox is known to air right-wing conspiracy theories and has been rated the least accurate news source by Politifact.

Section 2: bias Opinion Polls and predisposition questions

The wording of inquiries and structure of a study can often result in response bias. Often, questions are posed in a way that implies the respondent should answer in a particular manner. A common problem with polls arises when yes/no questions are used, and the interviewer asks something that hints at a grey area. Any question that uses negative words or puts the respondent on the defensive is designed to elicit a specific response. For instance: "Should concerned parents vaccinate their kids with the flu shot?" This question puts parents who choose not to vaccinate on the defensive and insinuates that they are not concerned about their children. Leading questions like this one force the respondent to answer in a pre-determined way, rather than expressing their genuine opinion. For example: "Where do you like to party?" This could be better rephrased as: "What activities do you prefer in the evenings?" Poll results can sometimes resemble mere media propaganda, as people commission surveys and then interpret the results. Polling companies frequently adjust the raw data, rather than reporting it as it is.

Rasmussen Reports uses polling methodologies that tend to favor Republicans. While Rasmussen adjusts its results based on party affiliation, this approach is often contested in the realm of polling, as party identification can fluctuate. Although Gallup is one of the most recognized polling companies, it has had three poor election result forecasts in a row, and its reporting outcomes are often considered subpar.

Area 3: Political Celebrations as well as their platforms.

Democratic Party
- Raise earnings and restore economic safety for the middle class.
- Produce good-paying jobs.
- Defend economic fairness and fight against inequality.
- Unite Americans and remove barriers to opportunities.
- Protect voting rights, reform campaign finance system, and restore freedom.
- Combat climate change, build a clean energy economy, secure environmental justice.
- Provide high-quality and affordable education.
- Ensure health and wellness of all Americans.
- Advocate for fair-minded leadership.

- Support soldiers and veterans.
- Address global threats.
- Safeguard values.

- Be a leader in the world.
The philosophy of the Democratic Party seeks a balance between individual liberty, social justice, and the common good. One of the strongest beliefs is that of equality on all fronts, irrespective of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and also in providing equal educational opportunities for all.

Republican Politician Party Platform

- Restore the economy and provide job opportunities
- Fair and straightforward tax policies for growth
- Promote responsible home ownership and rental opportunities
- Reduce government debt
- Revive constitutional government — religious freedom, protected speech, right to keep and bear arms, privacy, upholding human life, and personal property
- Advocate for term limits
- Balance the budget
- Preserve Social Security
- Make the government work for the people

The core beliefs are based on the idea that each individual is responsible for their own place in society. They believe in limiting government intervention, promoting free market economies, and reducing debt.

Libertarian Event System

The Libertarian core objective is to reduce the size, influence, and expenses of all levels of federal government. It supports minimally regulated markets, strong civil liberties, medical liberalization, separation of church and state, open immigration, non-interventionism, and non-partisanship in diplomatic relations. It also advocates for free trade and unrestricted movement to all foreign countries.

Green Event Platform

The Environment-friendly Party emphasizes environmentalism, participatory democracy, social justice, respect for diversity, tranquility, and non-violence. It is considered a left-wing belief. It stands against war and racism, and promotes LGBT civil rights and gender equality.

Section 4: Interest Groups

Members of Move On pride themselves on being a resistance effort against President Trump. They use the internet to organize and mobilize protestors, aiming to establish a more inclusive and progressive America. Media Matters is a progressive organization that works to counter conservative news in the US media. The Trends Foundation is an organization that envisions a world united for social justice, based on equality and human rights. Their investments focus on maximizing impact in equality and human rights, economic development, healthy individuals and communities, and sustainable environments. The Weather Underground is a radical left-wing militant organization that has attacked government buildings in protest of the Vietnam War. The Center for American Progress is a progressive organization with key objectives that include protecting the planet, promoting peace, and sharing global prosperity. Organizing for America is a community-organizing project of the Democratic National Committee, initially established to help promote President Obama's healthcare reform law. The main objective of the Media Research Center is to expose and neutralize the propaganda arm of the Left: the national news media. They support the conservative movement by educating Americans about left-wing media bias. Freedom Works is a grassroots organization created to assist activists in their fight for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom. The Heritage Foundation works to develop and promote conservative public policies. The Center for Self Governance is an educational organization dedicated to creating a stable civil society, balancing human government and educating citizens. Human Events is a conservative organization that promotes limited constitutional government, local self-government, private enterprise, and individual freedom. The National Review is a leading conservative publication and website that covers news, politics, current events, and culture with detailed analysis and commentary. It is a beacon of conservative opinion.

Section 5: political issues

Citizen scams have actually occurred in the USA since the first election. There is documentation of it taking place as early as the 19th century. Voter fraud in California is currently a huge topic of interest because, in 2016, President Donald Trump declared that many Californians committed voter fraud by voting more than once. There are a few ways voter fraud can be committed. One of the most common types of fraud is impersonation at the polls, taking another voter's name who is registered but may have lost their right to vote due to a crime they committed, or even taking the names of voters who have passed away. False registration is the second common form of fraud because it isn't hard to do. The wrongdoer would just need to provide a fake name and a fake address of somewhere they don't live. There are several other kinds of voter fraud, like duplicate voting, fraudulent use of absentee ballots, buying votes, illegal "assistance" at the polls, ineligible voting, altering the vote count, and ballot request fraud. It's often questioned whether voter fraud can really affect elections. However, in 2015 an election in New Jersey for the city council was decided by 10 votes, it was found later that at least 13 illegal voter ballots had been used and a new election had to be ordered.

There have been several types of birthright citizenship in the United States. One of the first laws has been around since 1790, and it stated that any "free white persons" had the opportunity to gain citizenship after they had lived in the U.S. for two years and if they had a good character. The actual definition of birthright citizenship changed many times as the United States went through the Civil War and abolished slavery. It wasn't until the 14th Amendment was created that birthright citizenship included everyone "born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof". All of that may now change with Donald Trump as President. He stated that he was in the process of drafting an executive order that would nullify the constitutional right in the 14th Amendment. However, it is nearly impossible for President Trump to invalidate the 14th Amendment as it would be an abuse of presidential power, and the only way changes to the constitution can be made is if majorities in congress or the states conduct a two-thirds vote in both houses of congress or with a constitutional convention. According to New York Times, it seems as though Trump is going to try and take it to the Supreme Court. Fox News shows its viewers that Trump appears very serious about reinforcing America's immigration policies, as he not only discussed birthright citizenship with them but he also told host Laura Ingraham that he doesn't intend on allowing anyone who comes to the United States in caravans. He states that they are "wasting their time".

Many individuals have very different feelings about President Trump, but what they can all agree on is that he has accomplished a great deal. The Washington Times provides a detailed breakdown of what he has done. A few of his many achievements include appointing more than 75 "constitutionally sound" federal courts, tightening controls on illegal immigration, implementing a tax cut that saves money for 80 percent of America, and withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. According to the Washington Times, much of what his critics have to say about him pertains to his personality rather than his politics. The Washington Post, however, says that although he has made many changes in the United States, that doesn't necessarily mean he can take full credit for the "economic turnaround of historic proportions". Despite unemployment being the best it has been in a decade, it's challenging to determine what factors played a role in its decrease.

Final thought:

I have discovered just how important it is to become enlightened concerning our government and the politics around it. I can say that I will be really careful of media bias now that it is more apparent to me just how much it is used everyday. Americans are passionate about their political ideas and at times, it can become very controversial. However, all things that are necessary deserve arguing over. There will always be accusations of citizen fraud or polling bias; it is just a problem that America will always have. Everyone has their own favorite political party or political organization, but the best part about the American government is that our system still works and goals can still get accomplished.

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