HUM111 Week 3, Assignment 1

Detecting Media Bias

Tina Ann Scoggins

HUM/111

November 18, 2012

Kathleen Poole

Detecting Media Bias

         Americans have remained hopeful to live in a country that, yet again, outclasses every possible rival on every dimension imaginable, up to and including a strong economic system without deficit. The presidential campaign recently took place in November, 2012. American citizens struggled with deciding which candidate demonstrated a solid plan to fix and improve the current issues the nation has been facing for several years. The final tally of votes awarded President Barack Obama a second term in office, but the number of votes did not display a large margin of victory. Because of the normal controversial arguments in America on the subject of politics, as well as the stress and eagerness of society, one can only imagine how much bias and propaganda will be in this millennium’s media coverage of the topic.

         Andrew Taylor, author at Real Clear Politics, and Jim Kuhnhenn, White House and politics reporter in the Washington Bureau of the Associated Press, contributed to an article that focused on President Barack Obama’s obstacles in negotiating budget dealings with congressional leaders to formulate a plan that will improve America’s frail economy. After further research and exercising critical thinking skills, I assess the article to be clear and accurate with sufficient depth and extensiveness. All facts were reported and none were ignored.

         The article considered alternate perspectives and worldviews to include President Barack Obama, as well as Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s democratic party ideas, in addition to House Speaker John Boehner, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s republican party standpoint. Taylor and Kuhnhenn (2012) article added the skepticism of economists and business leaders of the tax reductions and spending cuts set to hit in January, cautious the combination would send the economy back into recession. The commentary in the article demonstrates an urgent issue for President Barack Obama and congressional leaders to formulate a plan to increase revenue while cutting spending costs, but each person’s ideas and strategies are mentioned in the content in a fair manner.

         The only emotionally charged word I questioned was the author’s use of the word failure in the third paragraph of the article. ”At issue is a one-two punch of expiring Bush-era tax reductions and across-the-board spending cuts set to hit in January as punishment for the failure of a gridlocked Congress to reach a deficit-cutting deal last year. Economists and business leaders warn the combination could send the economy back into recession, and all sides in Washington say they want to avoid going over the cliff”  (Taylor & Kuhnhenn, 2012, para. 3). All context references the oppositions and arguments of the mentioned congressional leaders and the commander in chief on what is a solid plan to strengthen the economy. The aforementioned paragraph, however, implies Congress is at fault for the failure to negotiate a deficit-cutting deal. After further review, I determined the emotionally charged language was not used in a dishonest manner. Instead, I believe the term “Congress” was intended for use in a general form, referring to both the legislative branch as well as the head of the executive branch of Congress, blaming no one in particular. No additional implications or assumptions were cited.

         The two news organizations that employ the journalists responsible for this particular article are Real Clear Politics and the Associated Press. Real Clear Politics displays four positive quotations of readers, by name and affiliation, which trust the website’s judgment and ethical standards when publishing articles. The Associated Press is not privately owned or government funded and is a not-for-profit news association. Both news reporting firms seem to possess an adequate reputation to trust, with continual critical evaluation, the articles published by their journalists.

         It is important to make distinctions when undertaking a critical evaluation in order to differentiate between fact and opinion. According to Paul and Elder (2008), “It is in all of our interests to critically assess, rather than mindlessly accept, news media pronouncements” so that people are “more independent, insightful, and critical” Americans “who are not at the mercy of the news media in their own country” (pp. 2-3). This educated theory leaves no room for bias or propaganda in media that can persuade an audience to believe a specific way. Critical evaluations will educate and transform society to think as individuals and develop the skills to make personal, informed, judgments and opinions. 

References

      Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2008). The Thinker’s Guide for Conscientious Citizens on How to Detect Media Bias & Propaganda In National and World News (4th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection.

    Taylor, A., & Kuhnhenn, J. (2012, November). Obama on Tricky Path in Budget Deal Negotiations. RealClearPolitics, (). Retrieved from http://from http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/11/16/obama_on_tricky_path_in_bud...