The self-interested media has been a major problem for decades.
But it’s now becoming the new norm, as a new Pew Research Center study finds.
The study, which was released Friday, finds that almost one-third of all Americans have heard at least one self-important news story from the self-appointed media of the day.
The news outlets were “more likely to use their own names or pseudonyms and less likely to include an attribution link,” the study said.
This makes them a threat to a lot of people, the study found.
That means they are a “significant obstacle to a healthy media environment.”
They’re “an obstacle to our ability to learn about the issues and perspectives that matter to us, our democracy and our values,” the researchers said.
Their negative effects include “a loss of trust in our democracy, our media institutions and the way we have news delivered.”
Here are some other ways in which the media has harmed Americans.
1.
They used the “same techniques as a bully to silence dissent.”
In their new report, the Pew researchers examined the media’s influence on the political debate.
They found that media outlets routinely used “the same techniques as bullies to silence their opponents.”
This includes: using fear tactics, targeting people they consider to be “extremists,” and attacking them publicly or in print.
They also used tactics like pushing a false story about the opposition’s leader, which resulted in the media using that same tactic.
“These tactics have the potential to shape the narrative, and have been used to silence political dissenters in recent years,” the Pew report said.
This leads to a vicious cycle of misinformation, fear and polarization.” “
And these tactics can also be used by media outlets to manipulate their audience.
This leads to a vicious cycle of misinformation, fear and polarization.”
2.
They use their influence to intimidate people who are speaking up.
In the study, researchers asked more than 500 people how often they heard from their local newspaper about their political views.
Many people said they were aware of news outlets using “excessive use of intimidation tactics” and “disseminating false information” to suppress dissenting views.
The majority of people also reported that “media influence and intimidation were a significant part of their daily life.”
In other words, the media “is a powerful tool for controlling political speech.”
3.
They are “stifling innovation.”
The Pew study found that while “media outlets were more likely to cite research findings in news articles, the percentage of news stories in which they referenced those findings declined from 2005 to 2015.”
And this trend “has persisted despite advances in technology and the Internet.”
The study found the “media continue to favor a traditional news-based structure in their coverage of political issues.”
4.
They manipulate their audiences to support their agenda.
In their study, the researchers asked how many people were asked about their views during a recent election.
People who were asked to “support” the candidate “in some way” were much more likely than those who were not to say they were against the candidate.
The media outlets were also much more successful in influencing the information they were able to spread about the election.
They were “faster to identify and amplify people who disagreed with their position,” the report said, and “their coverage of these issues was more partisan.”
5.
They’re a danger to democracy.
The Pew researchers noted that “the media have a disproportionate effect on the way the American people learn about, engage with, and participate in our democratic process.
Media influence, misinformation, and the use of power and intimidation by media are all examples of this.”
6.
They influence Americans’ political beliefs.
The researchers noted the media often influence the political beliefs of their audience, by “pushing political narratives to the public.”
The researchers said this “may not be a coincidence.”
“For example, the public has grown more likely over the past decade to believe in the existence of extraterrestrials and a supernatural threat, and to believe that there are two separate realities and that the world is a ‘good place,'” the report found.
“The public’s beliefs about these matters may be influenced by news reports, TV shows, and movies that use a variety of forms of persuasion and propaganda, such as the use or threat of physical violence, threats of violence, or false information.”
The news media, in turn, “may use these forms of information to influence the public on political issues,” the authors said.
7.
They don’t represent the views of the majority of Americans.
“In the short term, news outlets can be effective at influencing the opinions of their audiences,” the survey found.
But “they are unlikely to be effective in shaping the political opinions of the public at large, and may even be detrimental to the democratic process.”
8.
They create a culture
