Media Literacy

 

I really enjoyed reading the prescribed articles this week, I found the journal article about news bias, personal bias (A journalist may be biased towards a particular story and may add his/her opinion to the news report. This kind of media bias is purely based on the journalist’s own opinion) and unbiased reporting interesting. (Tully, 2021)There was a time when we could rely on the various types of media for accurate information. But in recent times, the media especially social media has gained a reputation, for sensationalizing certain events or news pieces. Although I was aware of how the media can sensationalise articles, I didn’t realise that there are so many different types of media bias for example:

Religious bias Some countries either highlight the prominent religion of the state or country or speak ill of the religion that governs the same. Most countries think this is illegal, others aren’t respectful when it comes to how they portray religion to the audience. Information bias Certain media companies leave out information on purpose, data they don’t want the public to see, lines get crossed between the good and bad side of ethics. Online Newspapers, television news channels, social media influencers and the like, will cut out details, choosing to go with what can be conveyed in a nutshell to get the most coverage and “likes” Corporate bias Sometimes media is sponsored by a corporation who heavily rely on funds or exposure to audiences, to gain popularity amongst the rest. Sensational bias Highlighting rare instances and making them sound like a very big deal, when small (but significant) events are kept in obscurity. Advertisement bias advertising conglomerates must be kept pleased by media houses, since a large part of funding comes from them. The same goes with political parties who have a stronghold on the media, where the reins are in their grip, with zero freedom to exercise expression and honesty. Gate-keeping bias when a media company decides to withhold a story from the public, deciding to release the information later, or never at all. This sort of bias is quite common, where a debate of how to release (if they do, that is) the story is first decided, possibly clipped down to size, and finally produced to the unsuspecting audience. (Types and Reasons of Media Bias and How it Affects News Events)

At first I found the article hard to understand because it was information overload but once I skimmed through the pages and started my own research into media bias I began to understand more, which made me really think about how even the public can be biased into what media they choose to engage with, it looks like a lot of people are not willing to broaden their horizons and I am starting to wonder if I am also selective of what I choose to listen and watch on my socials?

Bibliography

Tully, M. (2021). News media literacy, perceptions of bias, and interpretation of news. SAGE.

Types and Reasons of Media Bias and How it Affects News Events. (n.d.). Retrieved from opinion front: https://opinionfront.com/types-reasons-of-media-bias