Shandi Turner

English 112-401

March 17, 2019

Media Influence and Bias

How does media influence us and how is it Bias? These are two questions that I don’t feel people
question enough. It is an ongoing struggle daily to see the media reports and stop and think why is the
news reported the way it? Hopefully, in the future we can see the issues with this and make some
changes and make the media worthy of watching again.

Social media plays a major role in how influential the media and others can be in everyday life.
As we scroll through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, we can see how influential people are just by seeing
how someone making fun of others can lead those whom are being picked on do the unthinkable which
can include taking to many pills, cutting themselves and even suicide just to end the hatred. Why do we
as people sit and just watch this happen and do nothing to help or stop it? And when the reports are
made public then there is bias in the situation because it is always someone else’s fault.

In our world, it is sad to say, but racism is becoming a major issue. This has always been a
problem, but it is becoming more and more of an issue with police and the media. Its not just race that
is a problem it is also gender and religion and sexual orientation. In our world today, it is more common
to see the LGBT community coming out and making a stand. Is this ok? Everyone should be able to be
who they are and like/love who they want. For some this is not an issue if they don’t push it on them,
but in the media and social media there is always going to be discrimination on this topic as most
believe (due to their religion) that it is wrong to want to be with the same sex or even want to change
your gender identity. Is it wrong to want to change who you are? It may be but at the same time why
does what someone else want to do make others hate them? Are they hurting you by wanting to be
what they feel they are?

Police brutality……this is a major problem in the US today. Black Lives Matter. This movement
has upset a lot of people simply because not just Black Lives Matter, but ALL LIVES MATTER. Yes in the
news media today you see a lot of instantances where the police are in pursuit of a gang member, or
drug dealer and the pursuit turns into someone getting shot, and immediately the media is all over it
and you see them reporting and getting stories from the community and the community want to blame
the police, when sometimes in fact the suspect had a gun but the media wants to get viewers so they
twist the story to get people to respond. This makes things worse not better.

In conclusion, does the media influence the world and make them bias? Yes, they do because no
one will ever agree 100% with each other but why does it have to be drawn out into more than what it
is? It doesn’t have to be this way but, in the world we live in unfortunately this is how it is. In order to
make change, we must be willing to change ourselves and how we think and report on subjects.
 Works Cited

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SIEGEL, DAVID A. "Social Networks and the Mass Media." The American Political Science Review, vol.

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