Bias in the Media- Open Mic 7718

The power of media today is surrounding us!  Years ago it would be the nightly news or the daily newspaper that would give us updates on happenings around the world.  But today you can go watch news channels dedicated to news coverage, there is the internet that provides updates throughout the day, and text messages/phone applications that give minute-by-minute updates.  Media surrounds us and most of the time people don't even realize it.  

So of course the power of media can influence perception.  People have favorite news channels, liberal, conservative, etc. that influence their thinking about various new topics.  Most of the time people don't even realize their "favorite" news channel/newscaster influences their thinking.  Many years ago Tom Cruise was in the news because of his new relationship with Katie Holmes.  People can remember him famously jumping onto the couch on Oprah shouting about his newfound love.  Many found this to be "a bit much" but then a few years later he was in an interview with Matt Lauer and he spoke out about prescription drug use.  Two different topics on two different media outlets but both caused people to have thoughts about Tom Cruise's sanity, etc.  People's perception about Tom Cruise changed because of the power of the media.

All four sources highlighting bias in the media show to me that all narratives are affected by bias and perspective.  The article about Adrian Peterson shows how cultural differences can affect outcomes.  I personally had never heard about the "switch" that seems to be the center of the his child abuse cause but the article goes into depth about switches have been used in the past as form of punishment but by todays standards it isn't something that people would use to punish their children, instead today people take away privileges/toys from their children instead.  

I really enjoyed Chimamand Ngozi Adichie's TED talk because she talked about peoples thinking is based on what they are exposed to.  She also emphasized that a single story about a situation isn't really the whole story.  There are various sides to every story that one story isn’t the whole truth.

The article about Ray Rice is something that continues to be debated but what sticks out to me is that TMZ is the news source that brought all of this to light.  TMZ is a celebrity news website that found the footage of Ray Rice and his now wife that caused him to be suspended.  What the article highlights is how if there hadn’t been video of the altercation that there wouldn’t be an issue.  The article highlights the visual power of the media and how showing things in real time is what causes people to react.

Of course the situation in Ferguson Missouri is sad and shows there is still racism in 2014.  I thought it was sad and disrespectful that the media didn’t see what happened instead it was a news story.  TV crews shouldn’t have been making small talk and joking around the site where Michael Brown died.  Not only did someone die but that death caused rioting and unrest, it wasn’t just a story.

So how can teachers make students aware of the bias so they can effectively make their own judgments?  To me I think playing a simple game of telephone can show students how things can change overtime and that peoples own thinking can change and what is to be said or thought to be said.  As a Kindergarten teacher I try to show students that only one way of thinking isn’t the only way or the right way.  If people choose to apply that thinking to the bias of the media people may to start to think about what they read, watch, listen to from various media platforms.

This work by Anne Marie Lanning is licensed under a
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