The media has long been viewed as having the potential to be a check on political power, informing and educating the public about relevant issues and creating accountability for politicians. However, the relationship between politics and the media has often been fraught with tension.

In this article, we will explore how political views have influenced the role of media over time. While the news is inherently neutral, there are certain biases in reporting which tend to align with a politician’s or party’s principles.

What is Media Bias?

When we talk about the bias in the media, we are discussing the ideological slant that the media or particular publications have. In most cases, this will be inherent to the publication; however, it can also be a reflection of the editorial decisions that are being made by the publication.

When we talk about the bias of a publication, we mean the inclination to take a particular point of view when it comes to making editorial decisions. This could be in the form of leaning towards one political party or a political philosophy.

How does Politics Influence the Media?

The relationship between the media and politics influences the direction, control, and content of reporting, and these relationships vary depending on the country.

In democratic countries, the media often has an adversarial relationship with the government; however, in authoritarian countries, the relationship is usually a symbiotic one.

Political views have significantly impacted the role of media in a variety of ways. For example they can praise a country through headlines like “What is Amsterdam known for?” Such headline is too powerful that it can change people and world’s perception of the subject.

How does it Affect Us?

As discussed above, the media’s political bias can be seen as a problem, especially if one political party obtains a monopoly on the media; in this situation, it could be argued that the political control over the media is being exercised to further the political agenda of the controlling party, rather than for the good of the general public.

However, some argue that media bias is a good thing, as it allows the media to present facts from an angle that the reader/viewer will be most sympathetic towards.