the major takeaways or findings from my research
Television news strongly influences public opinion – The way news is presented, including word choice, tone, and visuals, affects how people perceive events (Callcut).
News networks often have political biases – Networks usually have political biases and cater to certain political sides, reinforcing existing beliefs and deepening political divides (AllSides).
Misinformation and selective reporting are common – Some networks spread misleading or incomplete stories to attract viewers or support a certain agenda (Stony Brook University Library).
Advice for future researchers:
Anyone researching how television news affects people's beliefs should watch out for bias in sources. A number of articles seem factual but actually push for a particular opinion. Looking at different places is useful for the most trustworthy information. School research, college pages, and truth-checking websites are examples of these places. Certain places, such as Pew Research Center and Credo Reference, were helpful because they had actual data and multiple studies instead of just opinions.
A problem I encountered was finding out if the sources were trustworthy. Some write-ups initially appeared valid yet were skewed or missing enough proof. Future researchers should use multiple sources with actual studies and statistics to avoid this. Furthermore, they should stick to sources with many expert opinions. Websites for fact-checking, like Media Bias/Fact Check, can also confirm the source.
Reflection on research experience:
Looking into how TV news largely influences people's views was interesting but sometimes annoying. Many sources had existing biases, so I had to double-check by comparing varied viewpoints to locate trustworthy information.
It wasn't easy to figure out what was important about it. Certain sources contradicted each other, especially on media bias and political influence. Fact-checking sites, like Media Bias/Fact Check, and research emanating from the Pew Research Center were quite helpful in clearing up a number of things.
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