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Mass Media Bias

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In today’s society having a political opinion is really easy, but are they the right one? There is an issue in this world concerning the information that is shared through the media. This past election was at the forefront of backlash and false media. The media is being plagued by fake and biased news. There Having an underlying bias is not breaking news; however, this caused a division in this society due to the information being processed by the major media outlets. “Experts” are out there reporting on the current events, but how many of them are true experts? Are they looking for the truth, or information that will support their prejudice, information stirs emotions in the reader to support their cause? Fake and biased media is deceiving …show more content…
Citizens struggle to look one another in the eye while protests and violence tear through cities. In the recent presidential election the division between those voting for Trump and those for Hillary has never been greater. “Mr. Trump’s presidency has exacerbated already deep ideological division in the country, and Americans on one end of the political spectrum increasingly find themselves unable even to look their counterparts in the eye.” (Ember, 2017, p. 1). Not only does this uproar cause tension but it destabilizes the social structure. Causing mass panic or outrage when an article is published praising or condemning a sensitive topic. Tan and Ang (2017) agreed and stated “These extreme views can cause divisions in society, foment unrest and, in some cases, lay the foundation for violence, such as the fake news that a pizza restaurant was operating child abuse ring.” Now with this digital age, it is easier to cover a story, or make news as a regular civilian rather than a trained professional. Everyday people are able to write and publish blogs or articles online, when they may have little background knowledge on the topic. “There are now fewer trained professional journalists but far more amateur ones. In this blizzard of reporting, it’s become exponentially more difficult for the reader to separate what is accurate from what is whim, conjecture, or nonsense” (Allen, 2013, p.4). This has everyone hiding their true feelings about certain topics and offending someone has become a danger, a risk no one really wants to take. Especially when the individuals do not feel as though they are educated enough to discuss the topic at hand; however, one cannot know for sure unless they double check their facts especially when fake news is sweeping across this nation. According to Tan and Ang (2017), “In 2016, several populist politicians around the world gained power by drawing on the emotion and

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