Question

How and why is the media biased depending on the specific media outlet accessed? How does this affect the public and how should it be addressed?

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) If a certain media outlet is biased towards a particular political party, it is generally because the party or politician and the media outlet have some mutual gain. For instance, a politician might praise a certain media outlet if he/ she knows that most of the supporters work there and that they are likely to build a good public image through the reports by that outlet.

If a media outlet is biased towards a particular politician, it might be because that politician would openly vouch for that outlet. This would count as free advertisement for the outlet. There might be times when both, the politician and the media outlet enjoy a mutual approval of each other. This approval might be used to each other’s benefit in the future. The outlet might need the backing of the political official in times of need and the political official might need positive press at a bad time. This is how the partnership is mutually beneficial.

Furthermore, pecuniary gains like ownership of shares in the media production or financing of party costs are another give and take or quid pro quo relationship where both stand to benefit from shares and sponsorships.