Television News Bias In Presidential Elections.
Political bias in television news has been studied for many years, especially concerning Presidential elections. One would like to believe that television networks offer complete and unbiased coverage of Presidential elections and candidates. In fact some believe that in a democracy it is the media's responsibility is to provide citizens with the information needed to make informed and rational decisions (Kaid, Tesdesco & McKinnon, 2000). In this paper I will examine the nature of partisan television news bias within the specific realm of presidential election campaigns. Presidential campaigns are small enough, and scrutinized enough, to make it possible to reasonably measure the amount and effects of media bias on the population (Allen & D"Alessio, 2000). More specifically, I will discuss the nature of television news bias and types of bias projected during a presidential election. Paying close attention to the ultimate effects of such bias. .
The Nature of Television News Bias.
According to White (1950), "media bias is disputable in the absence of certain properties of that bias: It must be volitional, or willful: it must be influential or else it is irrelevant; it must be threatening to widely held conventions, least it be dismissed as mere "crackpotism"; and it must be sustained rather than an isolated incident." Ideological bias in television news meets all of White's criteria, and has attracted the most public interest and attention (Kaid, Tesdesco & McKinnon, 2000).
Special interest and attention have been given to this arena of television news and presidential elections, because opinions on political matters are widely divergent. Thus, a .
television news program demonstrating an ideological bias by unilaterally espousing any one particular viewpoint would draw the wrath of the holders of all non-compatible viewpoints (Allen & D"Alessio, 2000.