Journalism and Democracy, Essay Example

Media outlets are information sources for most people, making them useful tools in politics. The connection between media houses and political issues introduces subjectivity to their reporting. It is essential to explore the difference in political news coverage that most news sources exhibit. Fox News and MSNBC are re-known newspaper companies based in America. They cover various national and global events, including, such as political news, weather, and current affairs. They both play a vital role in American politics because they are among the big media institutions in the country and impact many Americans’ lives through the provision of essential information (Blanton). The information always has a significant influence on society, depending on how it is captured and conveyed. The paper delves into subjectivity in political news reporting by looking at Fox News’ and MSNBC’s coverage of the recent presidential debate.

It is a significant year in most Americans’ calendar due to nearing elections. Fox News and MSNBC have been active in the air and hold debates of various political candidates in various races, and of the recent news capture for both these newspapers is on the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Bidden. What captures the readers’ attention is how they presented this debate to the public image, which becomes our main interest of study and focus. Fox News plays a vital role in the media of America, specifically in the ideology of the right. Democrats in the USA place their trust in various news outlets, but there has never been any news matching Fox News’s appeal to republicans. A ratio of four to ten Americans trust it, and also the same ration of people distrust it.

Fox News is a news channel in America and a very influential network. Rupert Murdoch launched it in 1996 (Blanton Par’ 10-6). It plays a vital role in the media of America, specifically in the ideology of the right. Democrats in the USA place their trust in various news outlets, but there has never been any news matching Fox News’s appeal to republicans. A ratio of four to ten Americans trust it, and also the same ration of people distrust it. It is located at 1211 Avenue of the Americans, 2nd floor New York, NY 10036. And Rupert Murdoch is the newspaper Executive staff.

President Donald Trump and Joe Biden in their first presidential debate in Cleveland, Fox tried to analyses the top 5 moments of the final Biden-Trump presidential debate, they gave it main outlook and view without sideling either side of the political divide, and they found out that; the debate had heated exchange between the two rivals on the issues of economy and Coronavirus. It also covered the 2020 campaign; that Biden was involved was his son in foreign business dealings that his campaign and Democrats declined (Auletta). It came during the hardest period of the American senate trying to work on the appointment of the Supreme Court appointment confirmation, Coronavirus raging, and the congress busy working on economic relief bill that deals with the fallout .some revelations on the nature of Iranian and Russian meddling in the election.

The information that surfaced was that Biden and his son’s involvement in some foreign business dealings. Though evidence came out from a partner of Joe Bidden colleague to support that he was aware of the sons dealing, they rejected the claims .Trump asked Bidden to answer on that, and Bidden defended himself by producing the tax returns of the last 22 years, and the Trump had never released his tax returns. The former government administration of Obama – Biden was accused of the release of illegal immigrants.

MSNBC is an abbreviation for cable network news found in 1996 merging two corporations NBC and Microsoft that included NBC and MC for Microsoft and formed MSNBC. It’s one of the most and largest watched and read the news in the world. Their services include a range of events in different parts of the world, such as political news, weather, and current affairs. To report for the corporation, they address to include a phone number (212) 664-6605 and physical address 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, N.Y.10112.

MSNBC  captured it by concentrating on the defects of the presidential debate by even noting that, as a practical matter that even the President’s microphone was shut, he could have still continued to interrupt and could have picked Biden’s microphone that could increase the disruption at the hall.

But the President, later on, tweeted retorting that debates should get a smarter democratic candidate and new anchor. The incumbent President constantly on keeping on to interrupt the conversation. It further reports that President Trump used the platform to spread misinformation, including security and voting.

The two newspapers differ in much information because they are not sidelined to an independent candidate to genuinely identify the elections’ real winner. Still, they both have their favorite candidate to support. After the debate, Fox News publish ed information on various data to prove that Trump was losing popularity (Auletta 2004). However, he still stood the caches of winning in multiple places, cities, states, and even rural areas. They always believed if the youths in Ohio are well mobilized, they will increase the number of supports for Donald Trump, but they fail to explain why Joe Bidden has a low count.

Another difference is how they capture the news MSNBC only gave a synopsis of people’s information and reactions from the debates (Graber). Without supporting their information with statistics, Fox runs real data from different states, groups, and even predictions of the voters’ presidential debate’s next move.MSNBC supported Joe Bidden to be the winner in the polls with a margin of every six out ten voted been the winner, and Fox reported that 48 percent of the respondents voted Bidders to be the winner. And from the statistics, they present data differently, but the good thing is that they both make up for a 10 percent difference.

MSNBC and Fox both captured political news and publishes information regarding debate and polls of Americans’ presidential politicians (Madow). And compelling details relating to the two candidates that were debating with favorable information to their sidelined candidate. It argues that newspapers are essential to men. After all, they bring Civilization because they all serve to protect freedom, and in democratic countries like the USA, both associations like politicians and newspapers work together ill-digested schemes (Madow Par’ 12-16). Therefore, if there were no newspapers, there will be no everyday activity. They expose more evil less than which is manageable. In this case, the citizens do not know which side to take because democrats will try to influence Fox and ignore MSNBC that favors the Republicans, which gives very negative news.

MSNBC and Fox news are significant in this case because, in democratic countries like the USA, evil is exposed without fear, that it frequently happens like parties are known on how they want the newspaper to capture news that favor their candidate (Kovach,2014)Citizens are kept aware of what is happening, and the few people who do not like the bad things happening can find whistleblowers out in the news, and they do not get lost in the crowd. Because these individuals cannot find each other due to a few numbers, the newspaper brings them together, and still, it has the responsibility of uniting them. A direct connection between Fox newspaper, MSNBC newspaper, and political association is that the newspaper depends on them and the politician like Joe Biden and Donald Trump makes the newspaper.

The connection between political association like Democratic and Republican and newspaper leads to the association between the state’s discoveries, the form of Administration in a country (De Tocqueville). The number of newspapers must increase or reduce among democratic nations in proportion to its less centralized Administration. Because in democratic states, the exercise of local powers cannot be entrusted to members of the community. The article clearly outlined that power is withheld with the ruling party (Lucas Jr 10-20). And the bad things done in the government are just exposed to any newspaper but very private.

Every modern President has complained about “unfair” and “cynical” reporters and has tried to circumvent the press. Just as White House correspondents routinely complain that their access is restricted, that the Administration is hostile or deceptive, MSNBC and Fox newspaper both face the challenges of presidential harassment. Like newspapers, even in the article, the President still maintains a good reputation even when he loses in an unfair debate (Ladd 80-90). They will wish the newspapers to favor them and ignore the truth because they are presidents.

Therefore, for Fox and MSNBC media and newspapers to do a fine job, they follow some exact code of conduct and ethics to ensure they are in a collision with the government and citizens in the democratic nation (Bybee 91-93). Among them include:

1. Seek truth and report them by guaranteeing access to source material when relevant and appropriate, never deliberately distort facts or context, including visual information—label illustrations and re-enactments(Vote Smart, par’ 15-20).
2. Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information unless traditional, open methods will not yield information vital to the public like it is commonly known in Fox newspaper to democrats.
3. Consider sources’ motives before promising anonymity.
4. Reserve anonymity for sources that may face danger, retribution, or other harm and have information that cannot be obtained elsewhere.
5. Explain why anonymity was granted

For Fox and MSNBC to Act independently, they must refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel, and special treatment, avoid political and other outside activities that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or damage credibility. You Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two (Graber and Johanna 12-13). Prominently label sponsored content, Observing Transparency and Accountability by Acknowledge mistakes and correct them promptly and prominently. Explain corrections and clarifications carefully and clearly, abide by the same high standards they expect of others.

Conclusively, Public policymakers should take up this debate, consider measures aimed at insulating local news from market pressures and strengthening news publishers, and help ensure a future for local journalism in every corner of the U.S.A to help users get better information. We have to open the door to enlightened public policies and subsidies. We need our Congress members and our leading citizens to approach this matter like in Fox and MSNBC with the same urgency with which they would come to the threat of terrorism, pandemic, financial collapse, or climate change. We need an organized citizenry demanding the institutions that make self-government possible. Only then can we, like our founders, build a free press. The technologies and the economic challenges are, of course, more complicated than in the 1790s. Still, the answer is the same.

Work Cited

Auletta, Ken. “Fortress Bush.” The New Yorker (2004).

Blanton, D. (2020). Fox News Poll: Trump gains in Ohio, Biden ahead in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. Fox News.

Bybee, Carl. “Can democracy survive in the post-factual age?: A return to the Lippmann-Dewey debate about the politics of news.” Journalism & Communication Monographs 1.1 (1999): 28-66.

De Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. Vol. 10. Regnery Publishing, 2003.

Graber, Doris A., and Johanna Dunaway. Mass media and American politics. Cq Press, 2017.

Kovach, Bill, and Tom Rosenstiel. The elements of journalism: What newspeople should know and the public should expect. Three Rivers Press (CA), 2014.

Ladd, Jonathan M. Why Americans hate the news media and how it matters. Princeton University Press, 2012.

Madow, Rachel. MSNBC News: “Trump Gains in Ohio, Biden Ahead in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin.” 2020. Print.

Society of Professional Journalists (US). Society of Professional Journalists: Code of Ethics. Society of Professional Journalists, 1996.