This 4 page paper is an abstract for a study using content analysis as a methodology. This paper relates the specific nature of content analysis for news bias. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: MH11_MHconAn3.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
culture, developing social identity and shaping political perspectives. The news media in the American culture plays an important role in determining the messages that are presented and the way
in which information becomes a part of the modern identity. The subject of this research study, then, focuses on these three specific television news venues, and the incidences of
news bias that are demonstrated in two specific ways: 1. the presentation of one side of an issue without access to information on the other side; and 2.
the presentation of a clearly weighted argument in favor of one side of the story over another. The research question for this
study is: How often do television news programming present one side of an issue without presenting information regarding the other side. This research question is important because it
demonstrates the two specific ways in which the news programs are utilized to present "truthful" manifestations of modern culture. The level of credibility given to these news programs is
the basis for the use of this media form in determining how prevalent these two different forms of bias are in the news media in general. Understanding the
influence of the television news programs on the American public and on our understanding of political, social and international issues requires recognition of the theories behind mass media influence and
the application of a content analysis. Christopher Lasch (1979) argued that because it is a major focus of the media to manipulate the opinions of the public, they do
not do this by providing untruths, but instead by recreating the truth. Lasch gave an example of the way in which this could occur by describing television commercials that