How does media bias influence public opinion? How does it affect the outcome of a presidential election?
Many conservatives accuse the news media of having a liberal bias. I think that most reporters try hard to be fair, accurate and straightforward. But there are other biases that limit and distort our coverage. We have a bias for bad news and conflict over good news and resolution. We prefer simple, black-and-white stories to those that are complicated and involve shades of gray. We are more likely to cover “events” – something that happens on a particular day – than to recognize broad trends over time that are in fact more significant. Those are biases I try to combat in my coverage. Q: Since there are hundreds of White House reporters, how do you ensure your coverage stands out from the competition? How do you decide which topics, in particular, you want to cover? A: We try to use USA TODAY’s advantages, especially its position as the nation’s largest and most national newspaper, to our own benefit. That makes it easier to convince presidents and presidential candidates to agree to in
