Intersting Bias in American News Media.
By The Horse
@TheHorse (203755)
Walnut Creek, California
March 24, 2021 11:46am CST
I just read a New York Times article abut an interesting bias in American media. Apparently American new emphasizes the negative more than the positive when it comes to Covid-19, relative to our counterparts in Europe.
To quote from the article:
"Bruce Sacerdote, an economics professor at Dartmouth College, noticed something last year about the Covid-19 television coverage that he was watching on CNN and PBS. It almost always seemed negative, regardless of what was he seeing in the data or hearing from scientists he knew.
"When Covid cases were rising in the U.S., the news coverage emphasized the increase. When cases were falling, the coverage instead focused on those places where cases were rising. And when vaccine research began showing positive results, the coverage downplayed it, as far as Sacerdote could tell."
He tested his hypothesis in a quantitive study, and found that his hypothesis was correct. This bias existed on most "lefty" media sources, like MSNBC, and "righty" media sources, like FOX news.
Do you have thoughts on why American media would be more negative and less "objective" about Covid trends? I'm just starting to think about it.
18 people like this
15 responses
@arunima25 (84944)
• Bangalore, India
24 Mar 21
It's not only American media. Unfortunately these days all media houses are biased across globe and not objective. Headline management and manipulation is more than objective reporting and each one does it depending on their inclination to the political party or ideology.
4 people like this
@FourWalls (61328)
• United States
24 Mar 21
Good news doesn’t sell. As Don Henley said, “Give us dirty laundry.”
3 people like this
@spiderdust (14744)
• San Jose, California
24 Mar 21
Considering the last administration's lax attitude about the spread of COVID, I think a lot of US media focused on the rising number of cases in order to help people take the pandemic seriously (as many didn't, and still don't) and reduce the spread.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
24 Mar 21
@spiderdust Hopefully things will improve quickly. I've already had one Covid shot and will have my second on April 3.
2 people like this
@spiderdust (14744)
• San Jose, California
24 Mar 21
@TheHorse I have noticed some positive spins lately, such as announcements of vaccine availability opening up and counties going to the orange tier (when we haven't seen anything better than purple and red for so long!), and art exhibits that can be visited. I even saw something about a live COVID-safe music performance in Santa Cruz a few days ago!
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
25 Mar 21
News isn't even news unless it's sensational and optimism isn't sensational, why would we want people to feel good when we can scare the bejeezus out of them every day!!!
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
25 Mar 21
@TheHorse Yes indeed, why bring people together when we can divide them?
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Mar 21
@BelleStarr Wouldn't a politician who can bring people together toward a common do well? Heck, he or she could even do some serious courting, if that was a part of their personal agenda.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (93514)
• Marion, Ohio
25 Mar 21
That is what draws the ratings anymore for any story. The news is to concerned with getting ratings.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (72520)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Mar 21
That is the way it has always been the media take the negative side and makes things worse than they actually are and then it is difficult to see the positive
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (72520)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Mar 21
@TheHorse and that is why when somethings go really wrong no one wants to alert the media in case things might not be too bad after all
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
26 Mar 21
@RasmaSandra Can you elaborate? I've had experiences where I alerted the media to some corruption I was witnessing, but they didn't pursue it because it didn't fit the narrative they were trying to convey.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118223)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Mar 21
I have been well aware of the media's tendency to focus on the negative of any situation over the positive for many years. That's part of the reason I totally cut the cord and don't watch any TV whatsoever now. I'm just tired of all the negative news. I have found that I have been so much happier and at peace with life since I stopped following the news.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118223)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Mar 21
@TheHorse Or, you could look at the way us republicans do...we were 10 million votes short of making this country great again! LMFAO
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118223)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Mar 21
@TheHorse Well, since you put it in that perspective, I guess we aren't really doing that badly! lol
@LindaOHio (153146)
• United States
27 Mar 21
@TheHorse I think they all focus on the negative aspects of the news; but I would be interested in hearing what you find out.
@freelancermariagrace (27225)
• Philippines
25 Mar 21
It doesn't only happen in America. The media tends to be very negative at times. I guess it's their way of enticing the audience to watch them even more. As for me, I hate any form of negativity. It adversely impacts my mental health
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
26 Mar 21
@freelancermariagrace Exactly. The psychologists call it "displacement." "Mad at your wife, kick the dog."
1 person likes this
@freelancermariagrace (27225)
• Philippines
26 Mar 21
@TheHorse Absolutely! Maybe they had a traumatic experience before that's why they're acting like that
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
25 Mar 21
The reality is, negative is one side of a fence. Positive is the other. None of us stand on the fence so our perception of bias is always biased.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
26 Mar 21
@TheHorse I guess the easy answer is the last four years. The spike was driven into the middle of America kind of created a huge issue.
However EU, and Asian News has always been more critical of the US, the negativity there is directed towards us.
in the end it is really just sad.
@ptrikha_2 (45331)
• India
24 Mar 21
The "Leftist" and the "rightist" means that independent press is more of a dream. Not only in US but in India and many others as well.
I think at times, negative news "sells" more and positive one seems "boring" !!
1 person likes this