When News Media Goes Wrong: the Dangers of Misinformation

The news media serves as a conduit, bringing global events to the public's attention. Particularly when individuals lack direct experience or knowledge of ongoing occurrences, they tend to heavily rely on the media for information. It is not to suggest that the media dictates our thoughts, as "people do not passively absorb media messages." However, the media does play a crucial role in shaping the public agenda and highlighting specific issues, consequently limiting the range of controversies and mindsets.

As Lippman aptly stated, the media serves as the primary means of connecting the public with the unseen world. It is our expectation that the media should present an accurate depiction of the external world we are curious about, twice daily, every day. We anticipate the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, to be delivered to us. Regrettably, this expectation is not always fulfilled. Happer and Philo argue that mass media effectively facilitate the flow of information between different groups within the public. However, the point to ponder is that the media systematically edits and interprets this vast amount of information, thereby presenting a particular perspective of the world to the audiences.

Certain pieces of information are given more prominence than others, endowing them with an air of authority and, at times, truthfulness. There is a prevalent belief that news merely presents facts, especially among some Iranians who view Western news agencies such as BBC and CNN as purveyors of objective truth compared to domestic ones.

Contrary to this belief, dissenting voices like Mencken and Goldberg argue that news media do not always report plain facts and are often influenced by biases. Georgiy Revyakin, a financial analyst, contends that major news agencies and websites are biased, reflecting the viewpoints of their owners. Furthermore, traditional sources of mass media, nowadays, are embroiled in politics and are often funded by a select few individuals to serve their interests. Revyakin suggests that all information is inherently subjective since it is created by individuals.

A series of influential studies known as 'the bad news,' conducted by the Glasgow University Media Group, examined TV news programs, systematically analyzing the content, interviews, and visual elements of news. These studies revealed that the assumption of impartiality in news representations (such as those of public broadcasting companies like the BBC) is challenged by subtle biases favoring the powerful, evident in elements like style, interview turns, and camera shots. These biases often remain hidden within the smallest linguistic details of news reporting, where power dynamics and political ideologies come into play.

Nevertheless, major news agencies such as Reuters, BBC, Guardian, and Associated Press claim to adhere to principles of accuracy, fairness, and impartiality. They provide comprehensive guidelines to their news writers and editors in the form of news manuals. For instance, the Reuters Handbook of Journalism emphasizes independence, freedom from bias, and the pursuit of truth as core values. The Guardian also places great importance on accuracy and fairness, cautioning against the publication of inaccurate or distorted information. Similarly, the BBC News style-guide asserts its commitment to uphold the highest standards of accuracy, fairness, impartiality, and clear language in journalism.

While these news agencies earnestly profess their dedication to these values, the reality may not always align with their claims. However, their consistent emphasis on these principles reflects their understanding of the importance of gaining the public's trust and building a reputable image, something they have achieved relatively successfully compared to many other news agencies.

Despite the long-standing assumption that journalism should present news in a value-free or unbiased manner, critical literature on journalistic practice is increasingly skeptical of this perspective. Additionally, scholars in social perception emphasize that basic cognitive and perceptual mechanisms are inherently biased. Consequently, the notion of bias continues to be a potent factor influencing media personnel, shaping their stances in favor of or against certain worldviews.