Roshan Ravishankar ’14: It has become apparent in today’s world that the media, which in theory should help to educate, inform, and serve the people, has led the public astray with bias and misinformation. The problem, however, is not just with the well-known and ultra-conservative Fox News. Networks like CNN and the extremely liberal MSNBC often focus on trivial issues to increase viewership, unfairly attacking selected candidates, sometimes even falsifying information. Considering the enormous impact the media has on American politics, this attitude is damaging and unacceptable.
The most crucial tenet of democracy is that people have the right to express and discuss their opinions honestly. Nevertheless, the merits of such a process can only be realized when such discussion is open-minded and sincere. When news networks try to promote a candidate or put another one down, they often distort the facts or allow their bias to sway audiences from focusing on the real issue. Such networks undermine the very democratic ideals they should be seeking to encourage. These news networks not only give voters erroneous ideas but also tend to oversimplify the issues at hand in an effort to support their biased opinions and arguments, often negating any possibility for open or meaningful dialogue.
Recently, CNN published an editorial entitled “Romney, Better Off as a Latino?” in which the author berated Romney for an insignificant quip which, humorous or not, certainly was not meant to be offensive. From this single comment, in which Romney stated that it would have been easier for him to win the election if he were Latino, the author implied that Romney believes Latinoamericans are over entitled and that Romney has little to no sympathy for the Latino community. He even criticizes Romney’s “rich white male” background. The problem with this article is not necessarily the ideas expressed, but the nature of the argument, which consists of bold, unfounded, and accusatory claims that appeal more to a reader’s emotions than to his or her sense of reason.
Unfortunately, this is just a single, rather moderate example. From the conservative bias of figures like Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck of the Fox News Channel to the liberal bias of networks like MSNBC, the closed-mindedness is astounding. Democrat and former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell even called MSNBC’s bias towards President Obama when he ran against Hillary Clinton for the democratic nomination “embarrassing.” Considering the incredible power of these news outlets, it is rather tragic that this kind of skewed reporting has become the norm. News networks, especially Fox News and MSNBC, are so focused on maintaining ratings by catering to a certain portion of the population that they have neglected the opportunity to enlighten and improve the country as a whole.
Citizens need to process the information they receive from the media with a critical eye and remain wary of partiality. They should applaud those outlets that are honest, and disavow those that are not. It is the regrettable truth that citizens, in order truly educate themselves about current affairs, cannot rely solely on the media. The media can be an incredibly empowering tool, since it serves as a platform in which citizens can be better informed through reliable information and open-minded discourse. However, it is only until we decide not to tolerate such inflammatory and divisive reporting that the incredible power of the media can be harnessed to truly educate and advance our nation.

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