Partisan Politics Impact Individuals' Perceptions of Media Bias

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2015/nov/10/liberal-media-bias/

According to a Pew Research Study conducted in 2012, 37% of Americans believe that there is a "great deal of political bias" in mass media reporting, while the statistic was only 31% four years prior. The study also suggests a partisan influence wherein Republican individuals are more likely to believe that media is biased than Democrats or Independents.

Conservatives Historically Perceive Liberal Bias in Media

The idea that mainstream media has a liberal bias is not a new one; some historians note constant disapproval of left-wing media since the Federal Communications Commission adopted the Fairness Doctrine in 1949. Following this order for "fair and balanced" reporting, conservatives often felt that they were silenced for having opinions that could have been considered controversial at the time.

Carson, as seen on CNN

Today, Republican perceptions of liberal bias remain ubiquitous, as seen less than a week ago by presidential candidate Ben Carson, who said on a CNN broadcast that President Obama didn't have the same level of scrutiny during his campaign regarding his past that Carson faces now.

One reason that Republicans often feel as if they are targeted by mainstream media outlets is due to the "hostile media effect," which suggests that people with strong partisan views often feel that media, even if presented from an objective standpoint, harbors a bias against their personal views. As such, claims such as Carson's often disregard instances where the media voiced opinions that aligned with conservative views, such as the repeated media coverage of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's email scandal.

Liberal Bias May not Be as Omnipresent as Commonly Thought

A Washington Post article by Paul Farhi  acknowledged findings that approximately 77% of individuals perceived a partisan bias in the media they consume. However, Farhi examined these studies in tandem with the shifting media landscape and determined that there is approximately an even amount of partisan reporting from both the left and the right wing.

Data on how each political party
perceives bias in the media.
(Data from Gallup, 2014)

Farhi's article further analyzes how people perceive news bias and makes an interesting discovery: while a vast majority of individuals believe that mainstream news outlets are biased, only 30% of people think that the news sources they use most are objective. These findings are indicative that individuals fall victim to confirmation bias, where they believe that negative characteristics of their behaviors, such as watching partisan media outlets, are less significant than others who engage in similar acts.

Furthermore, while news outlets have evolved to incorporate websites and social media platforms, the general public's idea remains focused on solely television outlets. An article from U.S. News and World Report noted that only 3% of people recalled websites when asked about what comes to mind when asked about news organizations. By being on the Internet, organizations beyond big name broadcast corporations have the ability to share opinions in their reporting. Because they have the opportunity to appeal to any desired demographic, such news outlets may not fit the perceived trend of liberal-slanted reporting, even though 69% of individuals obtain news online.

Trust in Media Outlets Accuracy and Fairness Continues to Decrease

A 2014 Gallup Poll illustrated distrust in mainstream media reporting is a continuing trend, with only 40% of Americans placing at least "a fair amount" of trust in the media's reporting accuracy and objectivity, down from a high of 54% in 1999.

One cause of this trend can be attributed to assimilation bias in news audiences. Assimilation bias may cause individuals to think that neutral reporting is actually biased in favor of their values or beliefs. This can cause individuals to view media reports as more biased than they actually are. Individuals who are affected by this bias think that the media is more partisan than it is, and transitively will view such news outlets as untrustworthy.

Additionally, a study by Albert C. Gunther and Kathleen Schmitt found that individuals who thought a news article had a broad reach were more likely to be hostile towards accepting the viewpoints presented in the article. As mass media continues to expand and audiences grow larger, it is more likely that this trend of hostility will continue, causing a further drop in the amount of trust the public places in mainstream media outlets.

Moreover, partisan media creates echo chambers, wherein group polarization occurs among viewers. Detroit Free Press suggests that these people in these groups view news outlets of opposing partisan affiliation as more biased than more moderate viewers perceive them. With the expansion of media platforms and greater reach of outlets, these bubbles will continue to grow in size, and the trend of distrust will likely continue.

With the continuous influence of partisan politics being ever present in our news sources, overall trust in our media outlets continues to decrease. As partisan audiences continue to polarize and viewership continues to grow across media platforms, there is no clear sign of when trust in our media outlets will rise again.