Entry #14 - Facing the Faux

Facing the Faux By: Nicole Tomas

Did you hear about—wait, you didn’t.

That’s because information varies. What you see on TV, isn’t always what you hear on the radio. And what you hear on the radio, isn’t always what you read in the newspapers. What you know varies, because what they tell you varies. This is how the media works.

The point of the news media is to report the news, without the clouding of personal opinion. If they do so correctly, then there isn’t a problem. In fact, it is through proper data dissemination that we were able to progress effectively through the years. However, neutrality is not always the case. The media is in charge of packaging information as well, and how they do so greatly affects how we see things. They are influential, and every little alteration to their reporting has an impact on viewers’ perspectives and knowledge. This is what we call media bias; when journalists and reporters make use of their influence and change information to be presented by either omitting data, emphasizing facts, and/or altering word choice in order to

convey a certain opinion. It is something often seen in journalism, and is undesirable due to its negatives effects on society. Due to the lack of neutrality in media, reports lose their proper value, and viewers are robbed of their right to correct information.

One effect of having media bias is that it makes reports and information lose their proper value. In reality, media is a business. This, however, does that mean that their sole goal is to earn profit. It is sad, though, that most of the people in media itself forget this. It is a trend now that different forms of media make it a point to cater to their audience. It is obvious in certain news channels and stations that they report on things that they feel will appeal more to the public.

Because of this, media bias comes into play. With this kind of mindset, the media is devalued and simply becomes a form of entertainment instead of a form of gaining knowledge. This is harmful because reports are tweaked in favor of their audience and the truth behind what is being presented changes, which is unfair to what happened, the people involved in the event, and lastly, the people watching. Yes, you may be getting viewers, but not only are you doing it at the expense of the truth, but you’re doing it as the expense of your credibility and value as a reporter.

Other things that are at stake when there is media bias are the rights of the public. One right that is jeopardized because of the lack of neutrality is a person’s right to information. When reports are edited upon presentation, data becomes either: lacking, changed, downplayed, or emphasized. It does not matter if the changes are small or not, because it does not change the fact that information being shown is skewed. When media does this, it limits what a person is to know. Another effect is that there is the possibility of a network imposing its own opinion instead of allowing a person to formulate their own. When media change what they show, they take away the right of a person to decide on their own. This is done because they limit that person’s perspectives, and give them minimum room to think outside of the facts being given.

Due to lack of information, people are then more inclined to base their views on what the media shows them. Whether or not they simply want to appeal to people, or deliberately change their opinion on a certain issue, does not change the fact that they end up limiting people. This simply proves how powerful the media is in terms of influencing their viewers.

Given these negative effects, there are simply two ways to counteract them. One would be to impose stricter policies towards maintaining neutrality in media and restricting biases from being shown. The way for this to happen would be to make sure that networks are properly observed and under surveillance. It would be the government’s job to see to it that this is achieved. However, because majority of us do not have the ability to change what is shown in media, the best way to make sure we are not affected by media bias would be to educate ourselves. Simply: be skeptical. Doubt. Do not be content with simply one source. If we are unable to stop media from presenting their biases and false information, then the least we can do is make sure we are not be victims of them. In the end, it will still be our choice whether or not we believe what is being given to us.

Yes, the influence is strong, and sometimes we are not aware of it. It is not a bad thing to believe what we see. It is bad when we do so without critical thinking. At times we simply accept what the media tells us to believe with little or no doubt. At other times, we think we already know what to believe, even if there are still so many sides to the story that have been left ignored or unseen. Do not be content with just one channel. Do not be content with just one voice on the radio. Do not be content with just one newspaper article. Be careful how much you believe, because sometimes we can’t help but to be influenced.

In fact, if this essay managed to sway you, then it simply proves my point.