Guest speaker Donald Ritchie gave a very informative, in-depth look at the press during early America. Newspapers were not only driven by, but owned by political parties. During the Washington Administration, the government sent news directly to the newspapers. Dissent within the cabinet between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton caused the formation of two separate political ideologies, and in the process two rival newspapers.
Could the same be said today? We would like to think we’re receiving “fair and balanced” news coverage, but that might not be the case. While Fox is notoriously conservative, and MSNBC leans toward the other end of the spectrum, viewers know who to turn to for their preferred perspective.
In this news clip, Fox reports that the Supreme Court struck down Obamacare claiming it was “unconstitutional.” However, the law was not actually repealed. Many critics accused Fox of reporting what they wanted to hear.
In this video, MSNBC political commentary reporter Chris Matthews blatantly shows his support for President Obama. He dishes out advice on what he should have done to win the debate against Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
While the bias may not be as obvious (although many, including myself, would argue that it is), both of these cable television news giants have displayed their political agenda on numerous occasions.
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