Evaluating Media Bias

Adam Schiffer is associate professor of political science at TCU. He studies American politics and teaches courses on political communication, public opinion, and research methods. He has published on topics such as the role of social media in the 2012 presidential election, the ability of blogs to set the mainstream press' agenda, partisan bias in newspaper election coverage, and ideological self-identification.

Schiffer's timely volume on the real problems with news media debunks common allegations of political bias, in particular liberal bias. The author explains in his introduction that ‘[the media] sometimes inflict serious injury on informed citizenship through a litany of routines, biases, and shortcomings that leave news consumers ill-equipped to navigate contemporary politics.’ For example, he discusses the media’s focus on the competition and personalities of campaigns and elections rather than comprehensive coverage of the complex matters of policy. He also notes how news stories are depicted as isolated events instead of patterns that emerge over time, which would allow for more reflection and critical thinking. Schiffer also blames the media for its inattention to the verification of facts. And he reminds us that news media is interested in covering the sensational over more substantial themes and topics that cannot be converted into sound bites. The most compelling chapters in the book are those that explain how Donald Trump was able to use ‘every known quirk and pattern of the mainstream media’ to his advantage after he first declared himself a presidential nominee on June 16, 2015: novelty, conflict, negativity, sex/vulgarity, personalization, obsession with celebrity, simplicity, and horse-race coverage.Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.

• 1. The Enduring “Liberal Media” Charge2. The Scholarly View of Partisan Bias3. How To Evaluate a Bias Charge4. The Real Biases5. Coverage of the Affordable Care Act6. The Media and the 2016 Republican Nomination7. Bias, Balance, and Ideals in the Trump Era