Exam 24: The Myth of Media Bias: Examining the Reality

Advances in communication technologies are blurring the lines between traditional mass media and more interpersonal forms of communication.

People who live in poverty or in rural areas where access to Internet and/or technology is limited may be disadvantaged by the difficulty they face in accessing information through the media.

Despite the reputation the media have for being biased, research actually indicates that news media today are no more biased or politically partisan than they were in the 1980s.

Children are more likely to imitate aggressive behavior if they witness the behavior being rewarded rather than punished.

The diversity of perspectives presented in the media today appears to have made media bias irrelevant because most people are exposed to a greater variety of perspectives on most issues.

Research indicates that one-third to one-half of Americans today report that they are dependent on the Internet for detailed information about health, science, business, and other issues on a weekly basis.

Despite its reputation for low culture, television has produced more sophisticated programming with greater narrative complexity over the last couple of decades.

Most people believe that negative media influences, such as exposure to biased messages, have a greater effect on other people than on themselves.

Whereas the FCC has the authority to regulate broadcast television networks, cable and satellite networks often self-censor in order to avoid offending viewers and advertisers.

Research today indicates that, despite the results of studies done in the 1970s and 1980s, media do not appear to have much impact on the behavior of children.

Cable television is subject to government regulation because it transmits its content over public cable networks.

Most kids and teens spend nearly eight hours per day devoted to entertainment media, including television, movies, Internet, music, and other media sources.

Media convergence has enabled a greater variety of voices to participate in the marketplace of ideas.

Media multitasking may exacerbate the problem of information overload, making it difficult for people to sort through and make sense of the media content.

The FCC has the authority to regulate all television content.

We produce mass media messages when we text message our friends or change our Facebook status.

Media coverage of issues may set the agenda for what topics we discuss, how we discuss them, and even how we behave in response to them (for example, in our behavioral choices, purchasing, and even voting).

The First Amendment prevents the government from regulating television content.

Mediated communication technologies like blogs and Twitter may be reducing the agenda-setting power of traditional gatekeepers like television networks and news organizations.

Eighty to 90 percent of mass media revenue is generated by only about 10 to 20 percent of the media products made.