Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Birther Blather lives on---------Media Bias that is Biased
L.A. Times- This article discusses the role of media in American society and how it sculpts our own ideas and ideologies. Primarily, the role of media has changed news into biased opinion outlets. Do you think that this is a positive or negative for our country and what impact does it have on our understanding of the global community that we live and work in?
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I honestly don't understand why Obama was accussed of not being a citizen in the first place. No other president in history has ever been questioned. I hate to assume this, but I would have to say its because he is black. How did we as Americans let it get to this? Like the article says at the end, we can no longer have an intelligent conversation without it turning into a screaming fight. We are no longer as "United" as we were before. I believe this is because of the media. The media influences us to believe certain opinions are true. Its like the mob effect. Everyone is ready to grab a torch because its easier to be in the mob then to be against them. Our views are heavily influenced; our culture is heavily influenced. If you stumble upon a source that says the world is round, and you don't believe it, you can find a source that says its flat with reasoning. Our world runs off of hear-say and that is an unreasonable way to live. Also the article states that another argument is that Obama's father is an immagrant, so it doesn't count. Our country was built off of imagrants, and it goes against what we were built on to deny that. I think Obama handled this situation with class, which is more than I can say for some other people.
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree with Katie and the article in that these days it's impossible to have a conversation with anyone who may not share the same opinion as you on an intelligent topic without it turning into a full-fledged argument with raised voices and exaggerations, and the media definitely has an impact. I think that everyone is entitled to their opinions and beliefs and am privileged to live in a country where the government doesn't censor information from the outside world. I also think that each media source putting their own spin and bias on information that they release or discuss is just part of the business and it's nearly impossible to give flat-out facts anyways. Biased newspaper articles and radio stations are a way for people who aren't informed about an issue to hear one side of the story and started to form their own opinion. Even in reading bias articles I think if someone truly does not agree with the opinion being written they are able to identify it. Unfortunately, it's important for people to take the initiative and research other possible angles of the story. It's the people who only listen to one-sided media that doesn't provide all the facts who turn casual conversations into fights and give the media a bad reputation.
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt, I believe that the current role of media is having a negative effect on the world today. Tim Rutton raises great points when describing the constant search for the “truth.” It seems that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to determine what is true and what is false. Rutton makes reference to the fact that even when President Obama revealed his birth certificate to the nation to prove his citizenship from birth, the media still managed to find a way to falsify it. In this current day in age, the media is trying so hard to find ways to make counter arguments and opinions to everything, that people are unable to filter through what’s good and what’s bad. Another great point that Tim Rutton raises is the fact that if you disagree with something you hear or read, all you simply have to do is search what you DO want to hear or read and you are all set. News no longer consists of reports about what is happening in the world, but instead it is individual’s opinions on what is happening. The facts in the world are becoming irrelevant; which makes me believe the media is having negative effects on the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that biased media has a negative impact upon our country. It is nearly impossible to read any newspaper article, watch any news program, or read any article online without having to filter out the actual facts and information from the biased opinions. All of this bias clearly impacts the reader or viewer,because they are merely hand-fed someone else's opinion on a certain event, instead of being able to look at the facts and make their own decisions and draw their own conclusions. However, one could argue that the media has never been totally impartial and unbiased, although there is no doubt how much worse it is in recent times. Therefore, it is not necessarily the presence of these biased media opinions that are a problem, because these preformed opinions have always been present. Rather, it is the vast prevalence of this bias that is having such a negative impact on our country. When people are constantly being assaulted by a million different opinions by what are supposed to be reliable, unbiased news sources, they have no chance to make their own opinions. Of course, people should take it upon themselves to inform themselves of many different opinions and takes on a certain topic or news story. That becomes increasingly difficult, however, as biased news stories only become more and more prevalent.
ReplyDeleteThe author of this article, Tim Rutten, uses the phrasing “eerie uncertainty” to describe America’s relationship with media and politics. This statement is underlined by the next fact Rutten presents: prior to the display of Obama’s birth certificate, the birther phenomenon had actually eclipsed the current economic crisis. This is a shocking revelation, as the latter is based on figures and statistics while the birther crisis is a baseless argument. Though the Internet has had a positive influence (acting as a catalyst for change in the Middle East), it has also created alternate realities. As a result, it has become possible to locate “facts” to support any opinion (no matter how plausible) with a click of the mouse. Though the Internet has many good qualities, it has created easy access to news organizations with no credibility. As Rutten writes, “the growth of the Internet has drained the noun "news" of its former authority.” In addition, Rutten believes the birthers embody a movement that began in the 19th century. The William Miller that Rutten describes as a “farmer turned biblical exegete” represents a mindset that may have started in the 1830s, but is an on going trend. Miller’s prediction of the second coming reminds me of the ludicrous prophesies of the 2012 apocalypse. Though these theories are fraught with flaws, they are still able to obtain a substantial following — most likely due to the influence of the media. Will this pattern worsen as time progresses?
ReplyDeleteBiased media certainly has a negative effect on our country. The majority of media that is displayed to the public (online, television, newspapers, etc.) is biased. Biased media tells people what to think without giving them the information and letting them form their own opinion. People get sucked in to a certain bias if they watch the same show or read the same newpaper over and over. The real issue is that since the media world has taken off through internet and television, bias information exists so much that it is unavoidable. Media outlets feel that they need to be labeled as one side of the spectrum or another. The American people are being deprived of unbiased media and in return are suffering.
ReplyDelete~Tim Beliveau
I was very surprised when I started reading this article to discover all of the sincere doubt that Obama is not an American citizen. I believe that people who disagree with his policies, like Donald Trump, are desperately trying to find ways to get him out of office so they can seek the change they want. This is evident from the 45% of Republicans who think Obama holds his office illegally. Many people believe this due to the relationship between politics and media. The large number of biased stories that are seen all over the internet give false, or exaggerated information regarding many issues; Obama's birth is just one example. I don't think that this can be easily fixed. There will be biased articles on almost every subject. In order to develop a full understanding on a topic, one must read both sides of the biased information.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading this article I was not shocked. The world we live in today is strong minded and people can easily publish their ideas and thoughts. Even published articles have a biase on them. It is hard to speak of a subject without biase but as a reader it is important to pick up on it. These published ideas, although not fact can be portrayed by many people as fact. People aren’t always backed up by facts but opinions made to look like fact. It seems to me that any wrongful idea can be fought for even with evidence. People have the ability to do so and with such a controversial topic such as a black president. It is not okay for people to develop rumors and lies about a subject with solid evidence but it happens anyways. The group that deny that Obama is a legal citizen are wrong but based on our constitution we have to let them speak. However, just because they speak doesn’t mean we should listen to them.
ReplyDeleteThis article does not surprise me in the least, its been a known fact that people without power will try to take away the power from people who have it. As the article said, even though we have the technology to send information across the planet in seconds, that isnt what caused this conspiracy it has been happening for centuries. In almost every democracy that has ever existed there has been those who disagree with the descision of the nation and will do anything to get there way, and even if you prove them wrong they just change thier story. Obama is only getting this type of attention is because of his race, there has always been people trying to slander the current leaders name, but because Obama is black it opens a whole door of people who dislike him, not because he is a bad president, but because they dont want someone him running thier country. i agree with what was said at the end of the article, it has become near impossible to talk to a person about a current issue without it becoming a full-blown debate, and this type of thing wont end anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteIf Obama wasn't born in the US, then I'm pretty sure that would have been successfully used against him during the '08 elections. Yet a substantial amount of people still don't believe it. This is really just a form of racism that still exists in this country. I understand that they can voice their opinions, but sometimes these people just need to shut up and face the facts.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that no other president had this problem, was that they released their birth certificates, or already had them available, while they were being researched by the committee. The reason that there was so much controversy over this issue, is because his party and he are intentionally using it as a tool to keep him in power. They automatically claimed that if people doubt his citizenship, it makes you a racist, and thus unpopular in the eyes of many voters. And let's face it, though he did make history as the first black president, his performance in the job was worse than Jimmy Carter's, and the certificate was used to distract from it. Donald Trump was right to demand for its release, so, even though I doubt he will be our president, a decent candidate will be able to talk about the issues and get elected.
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ReplyDeleteAs stated in many previous comments, the idea of biased media is, in fact, having a negative affect on the US population. Societal views that have been influenced by biased media are predetermined and become the major idea for others to follow. As much charisma as biased media has, it is extremely important that unbiased media, or neutral news, be accepted into society to allow for US citizens to create their own views on different topics. Obama being accused of not being a citizen was a great example of biased media because it could have been based on the ideas of someone not in support of Obama. Had he not been a US citizen, it would have been clear when the elections first began or it would have been a large mishap by the government. It seems barbaric that ideas like this are capable of being implanted into people's minds no matter how extreme the information may be. As long as the biased media influences the majority, it will eventually affect the minority in some way as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is ridiculous that the thought of Obama not being a US citizen is able to expand through the US poplutlations minds. This is a very negative affect on the US population when the media is biased. When it is biased, it only shows one side to the information so you only believe and form your opinion in and around that information. I agree with Shannon when she says that it would have been impossible for Obama to even become president without being a US citizen and it would have been clearly stated if he wasn't. The US population needs to stop believing everything they see and learn to research things so they fully understand what is happening.
ReplyDeleteI didnt have to read this article to know that the media is playing a large and negative role on our lives to day. I can see what the media does around me at all times. While media may play a good role in society in helping spread news around the world faster than ever thought imagined, it is also helping destroy the way we people try to find out what is factual and what is not. The reason that this investigation happened is because bored people thought of a new idea to cause trouble without logically thinking about the situation. Clearly before Obama was elected president there was an excessive background search of everything about Obama. This is just another difficult task caused by bored illogical people who feel the need to cause unnecessary trouble. More trouble may arise from this new type of people with the advancements of media. When everything is able to be found with a click of the button people get bored with what is easy and cause things to be difficult.
ReplyDelete-Laura Graham (using her brothers account) (Robert)
ReplyDeleteWell first off, this is my like third time posting cause this stupid website keeps losing it!!! But any who! So, i agree with everyone in saying that media has a negative effect on society. Personally I believe that it is such a negative effect but at least some part of all media is a lie or not true. With all of these lies has caused people to try and find their own truth or has caused them to blindly follow lies. We live in a society in which we cannot trust our own media to tell us the truth and the whole story. The media will either boost up a story or tone it down to whatever our government wants us to hear or see. I feel as a country we do not trust what we hear as much as what we see. This is why there was so much commotion over President Obama's birth certificate. It was not released right away so the people could not see it with their own eyes. I feel this will also affects us as a country with our international affairs negatively. If a country cannot trust itself why would it trust another country? Or why would that country trust a country that can't trust itself?
ReplyDeleteI do believe that biased media has a negative impact on the U.S. and does effect our understanding of the global community that we live and work in today. People today are being exposed to biased information that supports one side of the story and told that the other side of the story is worse than it really is. This is making us believe in false information and giving us bias beliefs. The article of Obama being accused of not being a U.S. citizen was a good example of how biased media can influence the beliefs of others. All it takes is someone saying that Obama is not a U.S. citizen then more people believe and so on. It's amazing how much biased information is being spread out through todays media and the amount of people who believe in it. the longer we let the media become biased, the more people will believe it's true, and the more we will be believing in a lie
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else on the fact that the media today is very biased and is not properly doing its job in educating the public. Rather, instead, the media is trying to convince the public that their point of view is the "truth". This in itself hinders the public from truely expressing their own opinions and forming their own ideas. And because the people are hindered from forming thier own ideas, the public itself becomes biased and unwilling to see the otherside. This can harm the community because for everything there is, there will be people opposed to and for a cause. In this case, If a population are all influenced and becomes biased, there will be no flexibility or ability for that community to accept or tolerate a different view point. I believe that in order for a community to truely florish and grow, that community must be able to see the real truth, not just the truth told to them by the media, and decide for themselves what is the "truth".
ReplyDeleteThe media today is very biased...even this articled was biased. Weather your online, reading the newspaper, or watching Channel 7 news, you are bound to find AT LEAST 1 biased news article. This defenitly has a negative impact on our country. When someone is watching the news on TV, and keeps fliping between three news stations, and each news station has three biased news storys, with the same mutual biased feeling, what is the person supposed to think! I believe news media needs to give out important information on both sides, the pros and cons, for both parties. The whole news about Obama not being an actual American citizen is...well...it's commical. Lets be real here, there is no way that a man can just run for president, be elected president, and live in the white house, with no one at all seeing his birth certificate. But I guess when people make a big hoorah out of a pity little lie, anyone will believe it right? Some people try and say that the Obama administration tries to use peoples disbelief to his citizenship as act of racism, which i dont believe is true. The president and his administration have a country to take care off, a war to end, and a whole lot of other issues. So i'm pretty sure that this blown out of perportion topic of Obamas citizenship is the least of their worries.
ReplyDeleteIn our country, media has impacted the people both positively and negatively. Recently, however, the information provided in the news is almost always bias and contains only the opinion of one person, the author or reporter. For example, there are even specific news channels that provide opinions and information that appeal to a certain group of people with the same ideologies. Someone looking for specific information on a topic must pick through the media and look past the biased opinion to find the real facts. I know that everyone will have their own opinions on different topics and that no two people will completely agree on everything, but I think that the media needs to stick to the facts.
ReplyDeleteI find the media in itself to be biast, almost to the point where the news is disheartening to me. All media outlets are owned by corporate giants, like NBC being run by General Electric and the Walt Disney Corporation running ABC. The news is just used to convey opinions of these respective companies that are in their best interest, or too use cover stories to hide important happenings in America. The Federal Reserve cannot even produce an Audit after losing track of nearly three trillion dollars, and they're broadcasting two day long specials about a birth certificate and a wedding? I want my REAL news back.
ReplyDeleteIts not surprising that the media plays a huge role in politics. It has just become more and more apparent since the invention of the internet. The president and their family are not just politcal figures, but they are also pop culture figures. It does surprise me, though, that Obama's citizenship was put into question. After the civil right issue that this country has gone though and worked out, it pains me to think that the only reason that his citizenship was put into question was because he is our first black president, and he has an Arabic middle name.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that the mixture of media (or more so pop cultue) and politics has a negative effect on our country. Media is baised,its a known fact. Media can distribute biased information to uninformed citizens, and thye wil vote for a candidate based on based the information they were given.
I agree with what everyone else said, that people got worked up over basically nothing. although it does surprise me that your birth certificate isn't one of the necessary documents you need to release to run for, i dont think that the president not revealing his should have been this big of a deal. when the article says,"One of the striking things about the reaction to the president's calm and — to reasonable minds — entirely persuasive appearance in the White House briefing room Wednesday was the rapidity and ease with which so many leading birthers rejected the evidence he presented." to me, even though i dont support the president, it is amazing that people can be this ignorant and close minded. people need to relax and let democracy reign.
ReplyDeleteI think the power of our media and the ease with which we can seek out information on pretty much every subject is a positive for our society. it allows us to be more aware of the state of our country, as well as the rest of the world. But there is also a down side to the media which, as this article says, is that it can be used to feed us false information. It very hard to tell when something it actually based in fact. But in the example of Obama’s birth certificate, I think the media was a good thing because he was able to prove himself much faster. All he had to do was release his birth certificate and the media made sure everyone knew about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie C on this. I think it is crazy what the media has turned into. They will do anything for a good story. They have lost all respect for anybody. It was surprising to me that anyone could question the president of this country. He has gotten to the position he is in by being an American. It gives me hope to see that Obama responded so calmly that is the only way we will be able to more forward in this country. It is my opion that the media needs to learn to respect the people. We need to see that unless all get behind one another and stop stabbing each other in the back, we wont be able to accomplsih anything. I believe the media is responsible for the lack or progress because they blow even the littles things into a big deal. This is counter productive and we need to stop it.
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