By: Connor Henshaw
Ever since NBC started broadcasting the news in the 1940's, people have been listening, reading, and watching their reports daily. As the decades have gone by, more and more companies, like WCBC,MSNBC, CNN, Fox, and CBS, have began reporting the news that occurs in both the United States and all around the world. While the public would like to agree that all news sources are truthful and accurate, this is sadly not the case with all of them, especially within the last few decades as the two main political parties of this country have increased their hatred towards one another. While there are some news stations that try to stay as neutral as possible, some news companies have started to pick sides on what they think is right and wrong, and two of the worst offenders of this are CNN and Fox News. Both stations have time and time again published misconstrued stories and data regarding important topics that strongly influences their viewers to believe something that may not entirely be true.
Each news source has chosen a side, CNN being Democratic and Fox being Republican, never ceasing their attack against one another's party. While both sides have some truths to their claims, much of what they report is either made up or skewed in some way to support their claims. Of the two news sources, CNN has a honor of being the one most accused of this, often being called "fake news". This is not too far from the truth with some of their news stories. They have been caught multiple times lying to the public about certain issues, trying to get more support for their party. The news network has even gone as far as putting serious news stories to the side and reporting things that don't matter, like Trump eating fried chicken with a fork and knife.
Even though CNN has been caught lying multiple times, Fox news is not innocence in the slightest way. Fox has, on multiple occasions, been known to give data that has been manipulated in some way to make the data seem more significant than it actually is, leading viewers to not necessarily believe something false, but believe that the situation that the data is showing is worse than it actually is. Fox has also been known to spread fear about minority group, especially towards members of the Muslim community lately. This fear mongering has has lead to a large, and sometimes violent, opposition of members of the Islamic faith visiting and living within the United States.
It is sad to see a country that has been divided into two parties who work tirelessly to see the other fall from power. Both CNN and Fox News have both played a large roll in the influencing of both sides, and have been contributing to much of the hate that has been occurring within the country recently. While there are some news stations that are more neutral and reliable, there are still too many people who watch, follow, and act on what their preferred news station is without any thoughts on what they are doing might be wrong. If there is only one thing that you take from this I hope it is this; Do not blindly believe what you hear on the news, try and learn all the facts about something before you form an opinion about it.
Sources:
T. (2017, December 11). CNN Caught Faking The News Again. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcxCD2yT83c&t=1s
Zaru, D. (2016, August 02). Feathers fly over Donald Trump eating fried chicken with a fork. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2016/08/02/politics/donald-trump-eats-kfc-knife-fork/index.html
Easley, J. (2015, February 06). Fact Checker Finds 60% Of Fox News Statements To Either Be Mostly False Or A Lie. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.politicususa.com/2015/02/06/fact-checker-finds-60-fox-news-statements-false-lie.html
Image 1: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YCeNYxyB7zU/maxresdefault.jpg
Image 2: https://www.politicususa.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/fox-like-news-400x300-1.jpg
Ever since NBC started broadcasting the news in the 1940's, people have been listening, reading, and watching their reports daily. As the decades have gone by, more and more companies, like WCBC,MSNBC, CNN, Fox, and CBS, have began reporting the news that occurs in both the United States and all around the world. While the public would like to agree that all news sources are truthful and accurate, this is sadly not the case with all of them, especially within the last few decades as the two main political parties of this country have increased their hatred towards one another. While there are some news stations that try to stay as neutral as possible, some news companies have started to pick sides on what they think is right and wrong, and two of the worst offenders of this are CNN and Fox News. Both stations have time and time again published misconstrued stories and data regarding important topics that strongly influences their viewers to believe something that may not entirely be true.
Each news source has chosen a side, CNN being Democratic and Fox being Republican, never ceasing their attack against one another's party. While both sides have some truths to their claims, much of what they report is either made up or skewed in some way to support their claims. Of the two news sources, CNN has a honor of being the one most accused of this, often being called "fake news". This is not too far from the truth with some of their news stories. They have been caught multiple times lying to the public about certain issues, trying to get more support for their party. The news network has even gone as far as putting serious news stories to the side and reporting things that don't matter, like Trump eating fried chicken with a fork and knife. Even though CNN has been caught lying multiple times, Fox news is not innocence in the slightest way. Fox has, on multiple occasions, been known to give data that has been manipulated in some way to make the data seem more significant than it actually is, leading viewers to not necessarily believe something false, but believe that the situation that the data is showing is worse than it actually is. Fox has also been known to spread fear about minority group, especially towards members of the Muslim community lately. This fear mongering has has lead to a large, and sometimes violent, opposition of members of the Islamic faith visiting and living within the United States.
It is sad to see a country that has been divided into two parties who work tirelessly to see the other fall from power. Both CNN and Fox News have both played a large roll in the influencing of both sides, and have been contributing to much of the hate that has been occurring within the country recently. While there are some news stations that are more neutral and reliable, there are still too many people who watch, follow, and act on what their preferred news station is without any thoughts on what they are doing might be wrong. If there is only one thing that you take from this I hope it is this; Do not blindly believe what you hear on the news, try and learn all the facts about something before you form an opinion about it.
Sources:
T. (2017, December 11). CNN Caught Faking The News Again. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcxCD2yT83c&t=1s
Zaru, D. (2016, August 02). Feathers fly over Donald Trump eating fried chicken with a fork. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2016/08/02/politics/donald-trump-eats-kfc-knife-fork/index.html
Easley, J. (2015, February 06). Fact Checker Finds 60% Of Fox News Statements To Either Be Mostly False Or A Lie. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.politicususa.com/2015/02/06/fact-checker-finds-60-fox-news-statements-false-lie.html
Image 1: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YCeNYxyB7zU/maxresdefault.jpg
Image 2: https://www.politicususa.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/fox-like-news-400x300-1.jpg
I think this issue is at the root of a lot of the issues we are seeing with our political system today, but it also touches on considerations of Free Speech and Freedom of the Press. "Who drives the message and why?" is something I think we should always be mindful of.
ReplyDeleteSome thoughts:
You mention in your first paragraph that the past few decades have been exceptionally divisive. Why do you think this is?
Do you believe that cable news media has an obligation to the truth? What consequences, if any, should cable news companies face for misleading their viewers?
I think the past few decades have been so divisive because of the freedom people have started to discover. This country is has moved away from the old ways of thinking, men are the breadwinners and women are the homemakers, and individuals have started to speak out for themselves. I welcome this change, but it has led to much unnecessary fighting between people who should be calling one another neighbors. I do believe the cable news media has an obligation to tell the truth, but sadly there are no consequences that are applied to them if they stray away from this obligation. The only real effective way to make sure they do not show fake news stories would be to screen them beforehand and not air them if they have any false information, but this would never happen because of the time and effort this would take to do so.
DeleteI agree, it is sad that the news companies sometimes provide fake and exaggerated information.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I think obtaining news via cable is a dying business. From my observation, it seems that mostly older people watch TV to get their news updates. A lot of younger people get their news via the internet, from websites like reddit, 4chan, and other social media. As the younger generation becomes the older generation, I think the percentage of people using the internet for news updates will only increase.
Furthermore, I think using the internet for news updates could help fix the "fake news" issue. Since popularity towards a news update is based on several people's involvement (and not the bourgeoisie), it can help bring attention to less biased information. Also, the comment section can “fact check” the information utilized in the news update. This works best if users are collectively unbiased, but it is very difficult and maybe impossible to create that condition.
It is pretty sad to see this happen, but it really does happen everyday. We see it all over the news and you can't really believe what you see anymore. These news stations are talking about things that people watching want to hear, not what is actually true. Even if the data is true, you mentioned that they skew data to make it seem different than it actually is.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Kyle though that a lot of people are now getting their news updates from the internet, not from cable TV. However, a lot of people that look at news on their phone are looking at updates from CNN or FOX, so they are still using those companies, just through a different source. I don't know if this would fix the "fake news" because I don't think there's a way to make their news unbiased.
It is very hard to see America become such a divided country politically, especially on the news which is supposed to be a reliable and trustworthy source of information. I think that in order to overcome this divide, people have to be more open-minded as to what others have to say. Not only that, but people must also get their information from multiple sources in order to obtain truthful information. Although this may not be as convenient and may take more time, it appears that it is one of the only solutions to the problem of news stations reporting biased information.
ReplyDeleteI like how you showed that the fake news is coming from both sides. It is really sad to me that both news sources are fabricating/exaggerating data and are both also accusing the other of doing the same thing! My personal opinion is that extremes from both sides are the problem and we would get a lot more done and be more successful if everyone was willing to compromise a little bit. These news sources are furthering the divide between political parties, and are really contributing to the problems in this country.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I think this was a good reminder for people to fact check. Even though the news is meant for reporting the "truth", sometimes (or most times) headlines and stories are made to grab your attention and ultimately get views, which means everything isn't always 100% truthful. As you said, try to learn the facts first and form your own opinions.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you spoke a little about both sides - from CNN to Fox News; Democratic to Republican!
ReplyDeleteI've begun to notice this issue more so in the last several years as well (possibly because I am much more aware of it and attentive to it now than I ever was before). I notice a lot of the debate between news sources especially when it comes to and in my own family. I have several family members who are on the opposite side of the political spectrum and they'll go at each other arguing about what the news (i.e. CNN and Fox News) is presenting, for example on the same political issue. These arguments can get pretty nasty, and it's incredible to witness how members in support of one station or the other can point out the flaws in the other's argument and call it 'fake news' but are unable to notice such discrepancies in the station that they watch and support. This debate is often the reason I choose to avoid watching the news, and I'm sure other young adults my age have experienced a similar situation.
I am also curious to read what you have to say to Paige's question: "Do you believe that cable news media has an obligation to the truth? What consequences, if any, should cable news companies face for misleading their viewers?"
Reading your blog reminds me why different forms of media irritate me sometimes. I don't like that as a society we feel like we have to decide whether we are one thing or another, such as republican or democratic. It is my belief that if everyone, including the media, allowed the thought that everyone is unique and not all the way one direction for any particular issue. You talk about these points in a number of different ways which I appreciate. You said you are tired of seeing two parties fight to make the others fall, and it makes you wonder what it would be like if they were supporting each other instead.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about each news source choosing a side. In my grandparent's house one watches CNN and the other watches Fox News. It can get pretty interesting at times.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about getting all the facts before you form an opinion.
You wrote about such an important topic in our country today. You gave a lot of great examples and links to other sources. I remember growing up, going over to a friends house and her dad always had Fox News on 24/7, just playing constantly. My mom would come home from work and put MSNBC on and watch it all night long. Thinking about it now, I used to sit and do my homework with my mom while she watched, which definitely influenced a lot of my own political beliefs today. I completely agree with you that it’s on us to find the truth and not get caught up in the clickbait headlines and actually think and learn before forming our opinions.
ReplyDeleteThis is obviously a hugely important issue, which is interesting because the way that most people hear about these issues is through the news, which is leads to the question of how we are able to trust the source of information on an issue, when the source of the information is in itself the issue.
ReplyDeleteI have had several conversations with my parents about this, as I find myself criticizing all news outlets, to which they ask how are they (and how do I) get my information if not from the news?
In a world where there are so many demands for our time, is it realistic for us to take it upon ourselves to go around fact-checking every piece of information that comes out of a news source? It is important to be skeptical, but too much so and we encroach on being incredulous of anything we see and hear. What do you think is actually the best method for acquiring information and news in the current "fake news" climate?
I do not believe that it is unrealistic for us to take time to fact check news stories, but only if they are important enough to do so. For some stories, like the Trump eating fried chicken with a fork and knife, it would be a complete waste of time to even read the article, but for some it would be useful just to know all of the facts. Being skeptical could only help in understanding everything about a news story, and it with all of the lies and uncertainty in the world that we currently live in being skeptical about everything, even if a little, might not hurt. The best ways for acquiring news currently would be to find the more neutral news sources. While they might have some bias within their articles, they are much more trustworthy than the news stations that are known to be untruthful.
DeleteI think this is probably one of the most important issues we face in modern times. We have access to many different new sources now, as such I think these traditional news outlets are struggling to maintain the viewership they once had. Because of this I think they try to sensationalize the stories they report on.
ReplyDeleteOn the point of reporting just fluff news, such as how Trump eats fried chicken. I think this is a result of the ever polarizing sides of our political system. They will try and take any type of new story to take down their opponent, which is sad to see. Overall, good article and very well articulated.
I agree that this is a major issue within the country as we can literally have breaking news in out hands within seconds of it happening thanks to multiple forms of social media and news apps. With this, the thing that I do not understand is how people blindly listen to what they are told like you spoke of in your post. Maybe this is just me, or the way I was raised, but if I hear something ground breaking or shocking from a source, I will actively seek out more sources that say that same thing about, for example, gun control and medicinal marijuana, and major headlining type things. If there are allegedly reliable news sources that have conflicting stories regarding the same thing, who do you trust? Do you blindly follow the news source that aligns with your political views? Or do you follow the source that seems to have the most in common with what you as an individual want to hear? All of this 'Fake News' media is getting out of control in my opinion and doing nothing but creating a larger divide in this country.
ReplyDeleteI myself have never really been a news person just because in today's time how do you really know it is true. Also, a lot of the stories put on the front page are really just used to distract from bigger issues that we should actually be worried about. Another thing that has made me turn away from watching/reading the news is the politics that are mainstreamed and how childish they make themselves look. That honestly makes me cringe knowing those are the people running the country.
ReplyDeleteI remember back in the primaries when CNN was pushing so hard for Hillary Clinton to be elected as the democratic party's candidate. They went so far as to not publish any stories about the massive rallies that Bernie Sanders was holding, and tried to cast him in a negative light. I feel like in the society that we're in, the news isn't just polarized by parties, but it's separated into what they want us to believe too. I feel like this whole division of the news has gone beyond either party, as most of the news companies are controlled by the same people. Have you come across any news sources that didn't seem to be partisan, or one that tried to influence you at every corner?
ReplyDelete