Let’s talk about media bias. Did you know that a February non-partisan poll found that 37% of Americans said the US is losing jobs? Democrats are more optimistic; Republicans (unsurprisingly) pessimistic.
Misinformation
And a third of Americans are completely wrong about the jobs numbers. They think jobs are down when job growth under Biden is very high and unemployment is historically low. The labor market is so unbalanced that major economists warn that the economy is overheated. The tight labor market is one of the drivers behind rising inflation. (For once, wages are a leading driver instead of a trailing result. It must be a Democratic administration.)
How could so many Americans be that far wrong about the economy? Almost all of us have to get our information filtered through the news media. I know I find it hard to argue against media bias as the problem. I’m still shocked at how much better war reporting I see in the Daily Kos than in any major print, broadcast or Internet source.
Is the News Biased Politically?
My first guess would be that the media are misinforming us for political gain. Lord knows, we have enough bad faith and flat-out lies from the conservative media. (And no, liberal sources aren’t “just the same.”)
The polling numbers show that politics is at least a factor. According to polls, Republicans give incorrect answers at higher rates and with more certainty. Democrats give bad answers, too, but at lower rates. On average, they see the economy more accurately. That’s reliable across polls and over the years. So yes, if this misinformation is from media bias, that bias has a political component.
But it isn’t all political. A quarter of Democrats still believe we lost jobs last year, too. That’s an odd mistake that contradicts Democratic hopes and party affiliation. Yes, Democrats are media incompetents who are terrible at getting their message out. Even so, it doesn’t make sense. We’re much more self-centered than that. I can’t see many Democrats unwilling to pat themselves on the back.
Finding the Worst in Everything
I can’t pretend to know why, but the media paints their political stories with mud and doubt. I’ll pick on the Washington Post:
“But uncertainty…”
My word. “Questions… mount.”
- 4.4 million in U.S. quit or changed jobs in February as turnover remained high (Subhead: Job openings remained high as employers struggled to retain workers.)
“…As turnover remained high.” People have their pick of jobs, unemployment is low, and even the worst-hit – employers – have more demand than they can fill.
Isn’t that good news?
Misinformation: a Measurement of Media Bias
Every reputable opinion poll is also a test of our information infrastructure. If our people misunderstand basic facts, our media sources for those facts have failed us. Our wrong answers should have been a learning moment for the evening news shows.
The inexplicable poll results about common events should humiliate every major media source. Time and again, Americans confidently answer factual questions with the wrong answers. And I don’t care what the media told us; that’s what we’ve heard. As consumers, we should expect better. Instead, most media sources dig in on their biases. Both-siderism remains rampant.
Here’s where I sigh. We’re in the same pickle as any class struggling under a bad teacher. What can you do? We have to suck it up and teach ourselves. I guarantee there will be a test at the end, with consequences.
