Do I believe that the media is biased? Yes, of course. But I don’t appear to be the only one who believes this! In a recent survey, in which 1,054 people took part, only 9% believed that there was no overall bias expressed though Sky News. Evidently Sky News appears to display the strongest political bias of any major UK news broadcaster, while Channel 4 appears to be the most politically balanced UK news broadcaster.
Media bias is a worldwide phenomenon. For example, in China, there are certain programs that are allowed, and other ones which are not. The same goes for stories, while some may be written others must just simply be ignored. In doing so, China is really attempting to control thinking, so
that the people of China think about the world in a particular way. This helps the government to sustain control of its people.
The following video is titled The Propaganda Model and the Mainstream Media: Debate and the Liberal Bias. It is a debate by Noam Chomsky; a individual who strongly believed that it was the mainstream media’s responsibility to “shape, determine and restrict... how political and social debate can occur within the public discourse” (Marks, 2012). In this sense, the media is in effect a “propaganda organ for the elite”. According to Chomsky and Herman the elite “regularly take advantage of media routines... to manipulate them into following a special agenda”.
If this is true, (and I believe it is) then the media is simply here just to serve the interests of the powerful and privileged. We are by no means getting all the facts or even both sides of the same story in some cases. We simply get the information those in power feel we should get. A trustworthy media, I think not!
Media owners such as Rupert Murdoch use their media empire to propagate their personal views and shape the opinions of the public in matters of politics and foreign policy. According to journalist Sasha Abramsky, Murdoch:
“has – and uses – the power to make’ and break politicians and his papers ‘have consistently opposed the peace movement, trade unions, progressive social programs … while supporting the death penalty, lower taxes at any cost and hawkish foreign policies”.
To be honest, I think it is very difficult for journalists to obtain objectivity or impartiality anyway. All journalists have a political point of view. This is not something they automatically leave behind when they step into their job. I would like to believe that respectable journalists are well informed about the subjects they are covering. In believing this I would further argue that it is near-impossible to be well informed about a subject and not have an opinion. As Brian McNair also explains in News and Journalism in the UK, objectivity should be aimed for; however it will never be totally achieved. John Ryley, head of Sky News, told an audience at the Cambridge Union that the impartiality rules governing British news broadcasting should be abandoned!
No comments:
Post a Comment