Do the News Media Have a Partisan Bias?

              There are some political scientists that argue that the content of news coverage accounts for a large portion of the volatility and changes in public opinion and voting preferences of Americans, when measured over relatively short periods of time. The objectivity of journalism reports the facts of an event without imposing a political or an ideological slant. Journalistic Objectivity is extremely important because of the enormous amount of Americans that rely on the news media to provide them with the information they seek in order to make political decisions. But, television hosts Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC on the left and Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Bill O’Reilly of FOX News on the right regularly inject opinion into their coverage of news events. According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, most Americans believe that the news media today, have a partisan bias. Many Americans also believe that television news is becoming more conservative, for example: by the growing presence of FOX News. This growth has led to a sharp decline in the percentage of liberals who say they enjoy keeping up with the news. People straddling both sides, believe the media are biased against them. Conservative critics charge that the media have a liberal bias, as evidenced by the fact that journalists tend to vote Democratic. Liberals point out that the fiscally conservative corporate interests of companies that own the media lead to much stronger biases than do the personal beliefs of journalists.
              Those who argue for the existence of a partisan bias in the media, may think about how journalists have personal biases. They may say it is impossible for a journalist not to have a bias. Political beliefs and values of a journalist could consciously or unconsciously affect their reports of particular stories. They may also think about how news corporations are under pressure to make profits, and as a result narrowcast to a reliable audience. The trend toward polarization of the news media, for example between FOX and MSNBC, may serve to reinforce the political views of their respective audiences. The drive for profitability may encourage greater partisanship. In addition, they may argue that the fragmentation of the news media makes the development of biased new media sources inevitable. The increasing reliance on new media sources, such as the Internets and blogs, reinforce partisan bias in the news media.
              Those who argue against the existence of a partisan bias in the media may think about how most news outlets provide balanced and fair coverage. Newspapers and magazines exhibit the strong partisan bias seen on some television news networks such as FOX News and MSNBC. It is not fair to judge all news media outlets based on the biases of a few of them. They may also think about how accusations of bias misunderstand recent trends in broadcast and news media. The trend toward narrowcasting may open up the possibility for balance in the media, even if individual news sources become more partisan. New media can expand the marketplace of ideas and encourage greater political debate. In addition, they may argue that bias is a good story is not the same thing as a partisan bias. The news media’s emphasis on political horse races and conflict frame their coverage of particular events. Politicians use accusations of partisan news media bias as a strategy to deal with an assertive press