Media Bias Research.
What is bias? The tendency to lean towards or against someone or something. Sometimes, bias is something you’re aware of, and this is known as explicit bias., but implicit or unconscious bias is something you don’t realise you have.
how does it affect the media and news we receive? Media bias relates to the bias or perceived bias of journalists and news organisations in mass media. It normally implies a widespread bias that impacts the standard of journalism, rather than bias in the perspective of one journalist or article.
What is its impact? In most countries, media bias is thought to either lean to the left or right, meaning it either favours liberal or conservative politics. In some countries, media bias can go so far as to completely reflect the ideals of the governing body, for example, in North Korea. In cases such as this, media bias essentially becomes propaganda.
How does this shape our view? It can lead to censorship, It can be politically motivated, Extreme forms can mutate into propaganda, It can cause divisions in society
What is unconscious bias? unconscious bias is something you don’t realise you have. An unconscious bias would probably be the result of gender stereotypes that say boys like sports while girls prefer art, and societal norms that place higher value on male competitive sports than their female equivalent. There are many biases like this that people unconsciously act on, but this doesn’t mean that they’re bad people. Instead, biases form over our lifetimes, and we have to fully recognise them in order to tackle them.
TYPES OF BIAS:
There are hundreds of different types of bias that have been identified. These different categories of bias have multiple bias examples within them. Let’s take a look at the main different types of bias.
Cognitive bias
This is the most common type of bias. Research suggests that there are more than 175 different types of cognitive bias. It refers to deviation from standards of judgement whereby you may create inferences, assessments or perceptions that are unreasonable. You may also recollect past experiences incorrectly. These perceptions may dictate a person’s behaviour or attitude, either in a positive or negative way.
Prejudices
A prejudice is a prejudgement or prior opinion that a person makes before they are given the relevant facts and information. When a prejudice takes place, this prejudgement is usually negative or unfavourable. Prejudices are usually based on factors such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, social class or language.
Why should you try to eliminate biased thinking?
Contextual bias
This refers to when experts who have good intentions are vulnerable to making incorrect decisions, based on external influences or influences that are irrelevant or unrelated to the situation. This can result in a loss of objectivity and can cause the experts to develop subconscious expectations.
Contextual biases can be found in academia, research, forensic analysis, publications and court situations. Contextual bias can also occur in the media. It can influence how stories are selected and reported.
Contextual biases are most commonly reported in law enforcement. Racial profiling and victim-blaming are both examples of common contextual biases. Gov.uk reported that in 2019/2020, there were 6 Stop and Searches for every 1,000 White people, compared to 54 Stop and Searches for every 1,000 Black people. This means Black people were 9 times more likely to be stopped by law enforcement than white people.
One of the biggest effects of bias is prejudgement, which can result in discriminatory practices. As some biases can be helpful and are used in heuristic decision-making, it is important to find the balance between helpful biases and negative, prejudicial biases.
HOW TO RECOGNISE MEDIA BIAS
There are several ways you can recognise media bias. FAIR, the national media watch group in the US, suggests that there are numerous questions you should ask yourself when consuming media in order to find biases. We’ve detailed some of the most important questions below:
- Who are the sources? In the article you’re reading, where is the journalist getting their sources from? Are all of the sources corporate and government-based, or are there any progressive, public interest, minority or female voices being referenced?
- Is there a lack of diversity? Looking at a particular media outlet, how diverse is their workforce compared to the communities they serve? Do they have producers, editors and managers of different races, genders and sexualities? To be fairly representative, they should have diverse people in leadership positions.
- From whose point of view is the media reported? Perspective is everything. Often, political coverage focuses on how certain issues affect politicians or corporations. In order to be fair, media outlets must present the point of view of those most affected by an issue.
- Are there double standards? Check for double standards by finding a parallel example by the same media company or citing similar stories that were covered in a different way. For example, are similar stories about men and women written in the same way?
- Is there a total lack of context? Stories without context can often paint a false picture of society or certain groups within it. For example, crime may be going up in a certain area because poverty is increasing, but this connection might not be explained.
There are a number of reasons we should strive to eliminate cognitive biases and biased thinking.
At its core, biased thinking makes it difficult for us to exchange accurate information. It can lead us to avoid information that we don’t like and fail to recognize information that could lead to a more accurate outcome.
Biases distort our critical thinking and can cause us to make irrational decisions. And finally, they can harm our relationships. Biases can cause us to make inaccurate judgments about others and then treat them accordingly.
10 tips to overcome cognitive biases
While cognitive biases can be unconscious, there are a number of things we can do to reduce their likelihood.
1. Be aware
The first tip to overcome these biases is to acknowledge that they exist. When we know there are factors that can alter the way we see things, we’re more likely to be careful as we form judgments or make decisions.
2. Consider current factors that may be influencing your decision
Is there anything in the current situation that could lead you to feel overconfident in your convictions? Or cause you to ignore certain information? Make sure not to fall victim to the bandwagon effect, or adopt attitudes simply because others are.
3. Reflect on the past
Look for patterns in how you’ve perceived prior situations and where you might have made mistakes. If, for example, you see that you tend to ignore facts or overemphasize intuition. Then lean into opportunities to further explore data presented to you.
4. Be curious
Being curious can help us avoid cognitive biases. Curiosity can help us pause long enough to ask questions. It stops us from assuming we’re right.
5. Strive for a growth mindset
People with growth mindsets believe that cognitive ability can be developed and tend to learn from criticism. Rather than covering up mistakes, they see them as an opportunity to learn.
They don’t believe that factors are “fixed” or unchangeable. Cognitive bias modification is possible with some work and effort. A growth mindset is one of many heuristics that can help move you in the right direction.
6. Identify what makes you uncomfortable
Are there people or situations that rub you the wrong way? Ask yourself what makes you respond this way and whether you could have a bias that’s impacting your perspective.
7. Embrace the opposite
Trying to understand an issue from both sides can make you a stronger critical thinker and help you see the world with more empathy. Push yourself to believe the opposite of your initial reaction and pay attention to what happens.
8. Seek multiple perspectives
Solicit feedback and perspectives from others. Asking others for their input can help us find potential blind spots and stop us from being overconfident.
9. Look for disconfirming evidence
Go out of your way to seek out information that runs counter to your existing belief.
10. Practice intellectual humility
Intellectual humility is about remaining open to the idea that you might be wrong. Rather than blindly standing by our convictions, it’s about asking, “what am I missing here?”