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CNN, the Cable News Network, was established in 1980 and is one of the media giants in the United States. It provides the latest on all aspects of national and international news. Since its launch, the critics disproved the channel for objectivity or partiality. Is CNN biased? Let’s discuss some of those claims and how the channel covered political affairs to see where the channel stands politically.
Understanding the Allegations of Bias
While there are several claims of media bias, scientific and systematic investigations of likely prejudices are rare. The 2007 analysis aimed to discover the perception of discrimination in the headlines of the lead stories. Those stories were from the official websites of two major US news organizations, CNN and Fox News. They were during the last two months of the 2004 US Presidential campaign. The study found a noteworthy perception of bias.
The CNN headlines were much more liberal than those from Fox News. On the other hand, Fox News’ headlines appeared slightly liberal or neutral. Participants were instructed that the headline came from a particular source but didn’t affect the results. Although the study can’t offer the absolute truth concerning the degree of biases in large media news organizations, the perception of bias does exist.
It also argued that covariate analysis should not be necessary for completely within-subject designs. However, based on the paired-headlines group, the study analyzed the convenience by leaving aside the debate regarding it without taking sides in it, with political leanings (i-e., liberal, moderate, or conservative) and party affiliation (Democrat, Independent, or Republican), it obtained similar results. Furthermore, both these factors extracted non-significant proportions of the variance (Fs<1). So, we portrayed the results generated in the research without covariates.
Single-way ANOVA of political party affiliation and political leanings in each group gave insignificant results (Fs<1); hence, a covariate analysis was not required. However, it used a covariate analysis of the covariance method as a precautionary measure for the headline nonpaired group by controlling for political leanings and party affiliation. These factors didn’t have a significant effect. Hence, this paper presents the ANOVA, which runs without covariates.
CNN Coverage of Trump Administration
CNN reported on the existence of classified documents that stated Moscow had compromising financial and personal information about then-president Trump. The channel didn’t publish the Trump-Russia dossier or any specific details of it. Later, Buzzfeed News published the 35-page document with a disclaimer that it was unverified and contained some obvious errors. Media and political figures in Washington read the record and sent it to other journalists because they considered it unverified. The following day, Trump called CNN “Fake News” and ignored a question by Jim Acosta, a CNN reporter, at a press conference.
On 24th February 2017, the White House barred CNN and other news outlets from a press gaggle room. The network responded: “They say this is how they retaliate when you publish the facts they do not like. We’ll continue publishing.” Moreover, on 26th June 2017, three network investigative journalists, Thomas Frank, Eric Lichtblau, and Lex Haris, quit CNN after writing a false story about the link between Anthony Scaramucci and a Russian billion-dollar investment fund which was later, the channel apologized for Scaramucci and admitted that the web story didn’t have proper editorial standards.
Critics Perspective / IS CNN Biased?
Critics of CNN argue vehemently that the network leans towards a liberal bias, presenting subjective viewpoints rather than objective reporting. Instances such as CNN’s coverage of the 2016 presidential election are cited as examples where some viewers perceived bias against then-candidate Trump. In short, these criticisms supported claims that CNN’s reporting lacks neutrality, diminishing the channel’s credibility as a reliable news source.
Defender’s Stance
Advocates of CNN deny these arguments, emphasizing balance in their reporting. CNN's reporting was commended for its authenticity and enlightening coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic. The supporters claim that although the news network leans on politics, it strives to bring out facts to the people.
Complex Nature of Bias Allegations / Is CNN Biased?
Determining whether CNN is biased is complex and entrenched in subjective interpretation. While some viewers and critics perceive a liberal inclination in CNN’s reporting, others contend that its coverage is devoid of bias and aligns with journalistic principles.
Evaluating bias in news reporting entails considering the extent of neutrality and objectivity in coverage. According to critics, the tendency manifests itself by stressing details or presenting a story from a particular angle—possibly influencing viewers’ perceptions. Opponents contend, however, that if journalism remains objective, it should deliver both the good and evil in a complete and accurate reporting sense, as demonstrated in CNN’s pandemic coverage.
Viewer’s Discretion
However, it is up to individual viewers to decide whether CNN is biased. Media literacy and critical thinking empower the audience to examine the news content critically for biases that may question the network’s impartiality.
Conclusion Is CNN Biased?
This issue surrounding CNN’s bias remains debatable, is CNN biased. On the one hand, critics blamed the channel as biased, while on the other hand, supporters claimed that CNN provided comprehensive and impartial reporting. So, one should understand the complexity of critical assessment and news reporting to analyze media bias. Critical information consumption should be emphasized as viewers watch CNN and other news media. The evaluation of media content critically allows one to consider alternative views on bias. It means viewers can understand and steer any news outlet depending on their choice. It is not wrong if we say that perceiving CNN as a biased channel is only a personal opinion of anybody.
