The Media Today

Have you ever watched the news on an unfamiliar station only to recoil in disgust from the blatantly false dribble that the newscasters spewed from their mouths, and then proceeded to rant about how they must be fools or insane to believe what they had just said?You probably haven't reacted that extremely to opposing views, but most everyone has, at some point in their lives, acted aversely to information or opinions that contradict their beliefs.This aversion to conflicting beliefs is due to a psychological phenomenon called cognitive dissonance, and it seems to plague viewer's thoughts on the content of media ("Cognitive Dissonance"; Claussen 213).But then why do news stations such as FOX News, CNN, and MSNBC offer biased news that produce cognitive dissonance in some viewers?Journalistic entities, like news stations and other sources of information, should report the news objectively and in its entirety, regardless of political standing and without opinionated responses geared towards certain ideologies.News stations haven't always added an ideological spin on the news, though.According to Shanto Iyengar of Stanford University and Kyu S. Hahn of UCLA, forty years ago most Americans received their news through a few networks.These networks used a "point-counterpoint" method of reporting news.Technological advances since then, like cable television and the Internet, have allowed for a competitive news media environment that fosters partisan news reporting (Iyengar and Hahn 20).This, in turn, allows people to selectively expose themselves to information that is consistent and resonates with their beliefs or preferences.The biased, partisan reporting of the media can mislead voters by suppressing information.Media outlets suppressing information on key issues lead voters to make electoral decisions by shaping false beliefs in voters (Bernhardt, Krasa, and Polborn 1092).Think of all of the political mistakes that may have been caused due to some key issue of a political policy being left out of a broadcast, influencing public opinion, and affecting how people vote.If news networks reported objectively with the "point-counterpoint" method of reporting that old networks employed, some of those mistakes would have been avoided. Look HereCheck out these side-by-side comparisons of opinion vs. factual reporting on the major news networks: