Is Media Biased?

I have often pondered upon this whilst listening to the news. So, is it?

Most of us would not respond to this question with a yes since many of us find it easier to switch the channel, than to think about the rationale behind it all.

The news media had to give up being idealistic when it was demanded of them to be big ‘money-churners’. Let’s face it. There is no money in news. All that most of us want is to tune in, get a few specifics for the day, any major story on telly, and check out all in a short span of 10 minutes.

As a news channel, higher the rating, higher the revenue generated for their advertising space from the various companies. This is possible only when the news sells. This is not new news for any of us. We all have noticed that out of the many shows on air, the ones that remain have a few similarities and generalities. The situation is such that if you do not look at the channel’s logo you might not be able to differentiate between one channel and the other.

With the race to be the best in News, the reporter integrity, importance of the story and its relevance have all taken a back stage. In their thirst to be paramount, the truth is often twisted to such an extent just so as to capture audiences’ interest. To make the audience tune in and keep them glued to their program, the use of such words as ‘crime’, ‘racist’, terrorist, ‘sex’ is made. Whether the same are relevant to the news, it really does not seem to make any difference.

It is human nature, to stay a moment longer to learn what happens next, and that is what has been exploited by the media. However trivial may be the ‘news’, a ‘panel of experts’ on the subject having an opinion which needs to be aired on National Channels mysteriously appears. Are these panels on a standby for the News Channel? Given the traffic and other demands of daily life, it would take a normal human being some time to reach the Studios. The ‘Experts Panel’ has no such issues!! The sparring of these experts makes for very entertaining watch.

Media plays to a selected audience, depending upon the news for the day. An example from yesterday, Osama’s death has caused the media to go into an overdrive trying to get sound bites from families who lost their loved ones in 9/11. I am sure the families are still revering from the loss they had suffered. All they want to do is pick up the pieces and try to re-build a life without their loved ones.

The question worth debating now should be, after such a public death of an ideological leader for the fanatics, what do you think would happen in terms of repercussions, if any. The question would not be addressed because it is easier to over-look it. It is easier to brush it aside and indulge in some chest-thumping. It would help in keeping the public from not thinking of the real issues that may surface.

The truth is in this age of reality T.V., public does not wish to be a mile away from the action; it wants to be in the midst of it, to get a thrill that the public is a part of the whole situation.

Media wants that the spectators are emotionally involved in the whole situation and the outcome. An emotionally invested viewer will watch the show till the end, in turn guaranteeing a higher revenue generation.

So in the end, my question again, “Is the media unbiased?”