What sources do you use to find out about real-world events?
In school we are repeatedly told not to believe everything we see on social media and to rely on well-known news outlets instead. However, it's important to acknowledge the increasing presence of media bias in these sources.
Media bias is the inclination of certain sources to report the news through a viewpoint that favours a political perspective or general ideology. Information from these sources might not be entirely accurate because the source chooses to report through a specific lens: selecting facts or data that confirm the perspective while leaving out facts that disprove it, using language that favours the perspective, or intentionally “framing narratives” to shape public perception.
Subjectivity vs. objectivity
Subjectivity involves weaving specific, selective analysis, data and opinions into a piece instead of describing things factually. It happens when someone's judgement is shaped by personal experiences, opinions or beliefs — which, as humans, is unavoidable, but should be limited in the media.
One example: you love sushi while your friend finds it gross — judgments you both made from experience that would influence your perspective if you were writing a food blog. Readers would then form opinions on sushi without trying it themselves, because of the writer's personal bias. Scaled up to the real world, subjectivity creates bias that the public is then influenced by. Objectivity, by contrast, is when there is little to no favouritism toward a particular perspective.
Media bias charts, like the one published by Ad Fontes Media, make this visible: many popular outlets contain opinion-based judgements and vary widely in reliability, with very few sources in the top band of thorough fact reporting.
Influencers are media too
Another relevant example for Gen Z is relying on information or opinions from our favourite influencers. Their judgment may be worth considering, but remember they are also people with personal biases that can shape the information they choose to share. Ask yourself: do you really think this, or did you just hear it from someone famous you follow on Instagram?
The takeaway
As we broaden our understanding of the world, the significance of reading about complex topics from several viewpoints — several outlets and authors — becomes incredibly clear. We cannot base our opinions on biased information alone, and must learn to rely on ourselves to interpret it.