Final answer:
News organizations filter and frame stories primarily to engage viewers and serve business interests, leading to media bias and a potential skew in public perception. The way media presents and prioritizes news can significantly influence which issues receive public attention and how they are perceived by the audience.
Step-by-step explanation:
News organizations filter and frame stories for a number of reasons. Framing involves packaging information in a way that encourages a specific interpretation of events, which can impact public opinion. Filters are applied to prioritize stories, often selecting what will engage viewers the most or serve the business interests of the media outlet, such as generating higher revenues. This filtering can prioritize sensational news, opinions, or editorials that attract audiences. However, this practice can also lead to a media bias where news is presented in a way that conforms to the outlet's audience preferences or the organization's corporate interests, potentially leading to a skewed public perception.
When the media acts as an agenda setter, it determines which issues receive public attention, framing public discourse and possibly influencing policy. The media can cultivate reality by presenting information that becomes the viewers' perception of the world.
Media outlets, as businesses, are always balancing the need to generate revenue with the expectation that they will inform and serve the public interest without bias. This balance is not easy to achieve, and sometimes commercial interests may overshadow the commitment to unbiased reporting, leading to a filtered and framed presentation of news stories.