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Framing and Agenda Setting Bias in News Media

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Framing and Agenda Setting Bias in News Media
Framing and Agenda Setting Bias in News Media
The Hutchinson Commission on freedom of the press best defined news in 1947 as a "truthful, comprehensive, and intelligent account of the day's events in a context which gives them meaning."Journalism in today's news is not the same as it was over half a century ago. The Fairness Doctrine, which was eliminated in 1987, was a policy that required the holders of broadcast licenses to both present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was, in the Federal Communications Commission's view, honest, equitable and balanced. The Doctrine obligated broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public policy and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Why are channels that are so obviously biased, such as Fox News and MSNBC, considered the best mainstream sources for news? What methods are used by news media to influence the public on what to think about and how to think about it?
There is no denying that life is much more convenient with the existence of news media. News media takes the responsibility of being the bond between individuals and the rest of the world. It is an essential force that helps the world develop as humans become more educated and curious about what goes on. The news can certainly broaden our horizons; by knowing the events happening around the world and acquiring that awareness, people are more equipped with knowledge to understand different subjects and to establish their own angles of treating an issue. Worldwide communication is improved through news media broadcast and as Cleveland State University Profesor Anup Kumar said, “communication is at the heart of what makes society.”
Admittedly, news media has its flaws. In the “Orwell Roll in His Grave” documentary, Mark Crispin Miller states “There are stories of tremendous public moment that are not covered while trivial stories that don’t have any resonance at all are


Bibliography: Sparks, Glenn Grayson. "The Effects of News and Political Content." Media Effects Research: A Basic Overview. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. 209-15. Print. Lippmann, Walter. "The Nature of News." Public Opinion,. New York: Harcourt, Brace and, 1922. 183. Print. Schechter, Danny. The More You Watch, the Less You Know: News Wars/(sub)merged Hopes/media Adventures. New York: Seven Stories, 1997. Print. Entman, Robert M. Framing: Toward Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm Journal of Communication Vol. 43 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 1993. Jour. Pappas, Robert K. (Director). (2004). Orwell Rolls in His Grave. United States: Sag Harbor- Basement Pictures.
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