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Why do some people consider the way the media cover candidates for public office bad for democracy?

A. People tend to vote for the candidates who they find most appealing, rather than the ones whose
beliefs are most like their own.
B. The media are for-profit businesses, unable to be fair or objective in the interest of the public.
C. Candidates already in office receive more media attention than those who are trying to take their
positions.
D. People always vote for the person the media determine is most qualified, rather than the candidate
who can bring about change.

2 Answers

5 votes
I think the answer is B
User Eric Haynes
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2 votes

Answer:

B. The media are for-profit businesses, unable to be fair or objective in the interest of the public.

Step-by-step explanation:

The media's objective is to sway the public into believing what they say, and to essentially (though the term may be harsh) brainwash the viewer to see the situation as the media see's it, instead of allowing them to have their own objective view. Of course, it does not work 100% like this, but the way the media portrays events can definitely affect the view of a person.

For example, in recent events, President Trump proposed a tax deduction to help small businesses and the ordinary person to survive through the wake of the Corona-virus and the stay-at-home order. However, while it may seem like a good thing, the media sways the public's opinion to believe that the tax cuts were only beneficial to the wealthy. This sways people's beliefs of whether the tax cut was beneficial as a whole or not, but Trump did a tax cut, which is all that matters.

Another example can be found in a not-as-recent event, where President Obama signed tax cuts into law. Most media coverage of it was neutral at most, even positive sometimes. This shows that there is bias inside the media, and those who read, listen to, or watch certain media would be accustom to their way of thinking as well.

Remember, all media is there to make a profit, and to do so, they must 1) have large amounts of viewers, and 2) be able to influence others into seeing events the way they see it. There is no objective views in the media, for everybody has their own opinions, and own set of beliefs.

User Kevin Vermeer
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4.4k points