In a recent September 2015 Gallup Poll, Rebecca Riffkin points out that four in ten Americans have an above “great deal or fair amount” of trust and confidence in the mass media. In a span of 16 years (1999 to 2015), the American trust in the media has dropped 15 points to 40 percent. Based on that specific poll, there will be an examination of regular working individuals ranging from different ages, backgrounds, and ethics to understand their approach and awareness of media bias. There will be three stories chosen that dominated and have no correlation to each other in the recent year that have been randomly selected before each person is interviewed. The three stories are the New England Patriots and their cheating allegations, the recent assaults on and by the police, and Hilary Clinton’s emails scandal.
Media bias is an important issue to question and research in society. It has always been present, but in the CNBC 2015 GOP Presidential Debate the distrust and bias Americans and politicians have with national and local media was at center stage. This was the latest example of the questioning into media bias. Many political commenters, artists, athletes, and television and movie stars will often state that media bias is hidden in the fabric of society and is negative. Every once in a while, these individuals or associations will make the central focus of bringing it to the forefront; just like the CNBC Presidential Debate. This is nothing new in the world of journalism and media, but in 2015, the American trust in the media remains a historical low and there is no argument about that (all described in the Gallup Poll).
Although four in ten trusts the media, it does raise an interesting issue about how the society views media. . its about the solution aspect of attempting to fix media bias. Americans want life easy and simple and by making someone do some work, it is not worth it. In 2010, New York Post columnist Clemente Lisi explains that Americans are the laziest in the world. That is why there is a large amount of the public who doesn’t care about media bias anymore.
Media bias is an area where society has given up on. Only 4 in 10 Americans have a trust in society and just through basic interviews, no one seems to care about the information that is reported is slanted, regardless of the direction. There are reasons and understanding of this topic that extend into new areas that should and need to be explored. This is an entire network of issues, problems, and influences that affect the landscape of media bias. Yet, without a doubt, trusting and not caring are the forefront.
