Ideological Bias?
Reasons to be suspicious about claims of ideological bias
- The claim of a "bias" implies that the accuser knows what the truth is.
- Market forces inhibit strong ideological biases among mainstream media outlets
- Indexing of coverage to prevailing elite discourse
- Accusations of bias are usually self-serving
- Every U.S. president has accused the press of being “out to get him”
- Press bias provide a convenient excuse for political failure
- Pressuring the media with accusations of bias may lead to more favorable coverage
- Hostile media phenomenon (Vallone, Ross, & Lepper, 1985): a social-perceptual basis for bias