Types and Reasons of Media Bias

There was a time when one could always rely on the various types of media for accurate information. But in the recent times, the media is also known for sensationalizing many news or events and giving unnecessary importance to certain issues. The various forms of mass media are known to influence the minds of the audiences to a large extent. So, does it mean the media controls our world? What about the reliability factor on part of the organization or the journalists for that matter? There are times when the producer of a particular channel would be biased towards specific issues or there may be situations wherein a journalist may report a particular incident with a prejudiced opinion. Here, we shall take a look at the types and reasons of media bias.

Media Bias: Types and Reasons

• Media bias can happen due to various reasons. It occurs when a journalist or people connected with reporting of a particular event have a prejudiced opinion about things, which ultimately results in a distorted version of the story.
• Sometimes, there are certain media that may show a political bias towards certain news events. This happens when the publication or channel is in favor of a particular political party or a candidate.
• A journalist may also be biased towards a particular incident and may add his/her personal opinion to the news report. This kind of media bias is purely based on the journalist's own opinion which is not considered to be purely ethical as well.
• Racial bias and religious bias can happen when the journalist or news reporter gives reports in favor of a particular religion/race. Racism is a major issue, which can also end up in biased news reports.
• Advertisers or corporate companies may also influence the way certain reports are presented. Reports in this case, are presented in favor of the particular corporate to give it prominence.
• Media bias can also be seen when an editor may give importance to a specific story on the page. This can happen when he/she wants to highlight the same for personal reasons or outside influences.
• A particular form of media bias can also happen when the publication or news channel wants to sensationalize one particular news event. This is termed as sensationalism wherein one section of the news is over hyped to gain attention.

These are some of the types and reasons of media bias and how media can influence the minds of the audiences at large. In a time, when the competition is tough, it's no wonder; these outside influences are bound to affect the presentation of news events.