Bias in the News Media - Essay Example

The paper "Media Bias in the Broadcast of Criminal Justice" is an outstanding example of an essay on law. The bias in the news media regarding the portrayal of crime and justice elicits conflicting opinions. There are both pros and cons to media bias in the ways they report criminal justice to the public. Journalists are entitled to freedom of expression as stipulated in the constitution, and they should be the vessels for communicating the ordeals that define criminal justice. The following discussion will highlight the pros and cons of media bias with respect to criminal justice.

  ProsMedia bias on criminal justice is a portrayal of how American social platform is structured. The reports from major media houses such as CNN show the integral role of the media in the reporting of crime irrespective of the opinion it will elicit from the target audience. Bias is representative of the knowledge that the correspondents have for a particular crime story.News media help to highlight the plight of the minor race. The entire American nations are brought to a standstill when African American, Latino or Hispanic suspect is convicted for a crime (Townes, 2015).

The broadcast may portray the races negatively, but the news uses the platform to find the causes for crime activities among the non-white races. The murder coverage among black in 2010-2013 averaged at 75percent (Deggans, 2014). The news helped the state to find the causes of assaults, murders, thefts, and criminal activities among the African American population in the United States. The news becomes a source of debate and a tool for shaping the perceptions of people towards crime. The news highlights the way crime is committed and gets exclusive interviews with suspects or convicted felons.

While the interviews and documentaries occupy an integral part of the news broadcast, reporters get a chance to argue the relevance of existing laws in the U.S Constitution that guarantees all citizens rights and freedom without discrimination. Media bias shows that crime reporting is an obligatory element for enshrined in the freedom of the press clause (Pew Research Center, 2011). The reporting in the prime news in CNN may be limited to African American race but they provide a platform where a free discussion can take place and allow for positive criticism.

For example, WNBC engages viewers on popular social media channels to air their opinions about the criminal law and the manner in which the federal government should work on reducing crime in prone areas. ConsNews media bias when reporting crime affirms that there is a lack of race and gender diversity in America (Deggans, 2014). There must be a representation of all communities within the media houses to come up with scripts that can be used for ethical media reporting. PBS News Hour guest list includes white guests than other races.

The discussion that ensues cannot be representative of the opinion of all United States given the diverse racial divisions in the country. According to the Pew Research Center (2011), the coverage of criminal activities and crises such as drug abuse portrays particular races negatively. The majority of drugs users in America are believed to be African Americans based on the coverage and stereotypes existing among correspondents in many media houses in the United States. Journalists do not take responsibility for their misconceptions, and they take cover in the freedom of the press provisions in the constitution.

The level of trust with media houses dwindles among populations that are targeted by biased reporting. The news may exemplify one race or the community at the expense of the other. The media becomes a source of system racism that increases the tension between white and blacks in U.S. Brookings Institution conducted a study in 2011 and found out that Fox News Channel is more trustworthy in reporting crime issues than any other media house in the United States (Deggans, 2014). The study glorified Fox News for fair coverage without placing any privilege on whites.

The public lacks a proper context of crime through the news media (Deggans, 2014). The media bias helps to perpetuate discriminative policing that overlooks other social problems such as unemployment. News stations are more concerned with views than becoming platforms for social change. Bias is an indication that reporters, editors, and panelists have their personal priorities that do not offer tangible solutions to crime. The national media falls short in providing America with a productive conversation regarding social justice, police, and race to stereotype.

Fox News confirms that police are wary of conducting a search in a black neighborhood for fear of being shot. ConclusionMedia bias has pros and cons in the broadcast of criminal justice. The bias is a portrayal of the rot that is within the media houses and the law enforcement agencies. However, the bias in news media is used to highlight the plight of people of color in America among other issues within the department of criminal justice.