The Encyclopedia Britannica defines confirmation bias as “the tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with one’s existing beliefs.”16 This phenomenon is seen in people of all races. Journalists both professional and unaffiliated have a special obligation to examine their beliefs because it will impact how they report a story. Beliefs can affect the wording used or the images that represent events. How events are described, can then, in turn, color the audience’s perception of the event.
The total number of white Americans is larger than the number of black Americans on welfare.17 However, when stories about social welfare programs are shown the people, both pictured and interviewed, tend overwhelmingly to be people of color. Similar problems persist when reporting about crime, immigration, and other subjects. This phenomenon may be a manifestation of reporter’s confirmation bias, in that reporters may seek to photograph and interview individuals who fit their personal stereotypes.
Bias can also be manifested in the stories reporters choose to follow and those that they ignore. For instance, when a terrorist act occurs, if the perpetrator is Islamic the story receives 3.57 times the amount of coverage than if the act were committed by a non Islamic person.18 This can lead to a mistaken public perception that most terrorism in the US is committed by Muslims. The general perception stands in stark contrast to the truth. According to the Anti Defamation Leagues’ report on extremist killings in the USA, in 2018, the perpetrator of every single extremist murder had had ties to a right-wing extremist group at some point in their lives.19
A consequence of biased reporting that stereotypes terrorists as Islamic, is American support for irrational policies. Many of the immigration policies that president Trump tried to put in place with the goal of thwarting terrorism were misplaced. The policies could have harmed many individuals, families, industries, and institutions and led to a false sense of security. Most Americans did nothing to protest these misguided policies. There was not the groundswell of protest that there would have been had those who actually commit the majority of the atrocities been targeted for punitive policies.
