Scapegoat in the Storm: The Media’s Unjust Blame Game
In the contemporary American media landscape, two powerful phenomena, negativity bias and dwindling attention spans, collide to create a tempest that shapes our perceptions and reactions to world events. Often, these phenomena unjustly lay blame on our leaders for issues beyond their control.
For instance, when egg, gas, and rent prices spike — developments that have little to do with presidential actions — the media spotlight often falls on the Oval Office. Conversely, when there are positive economic developments, these often fail to garner similar attention.
It’s crucial to scrutinize the American media’s intricate dance with negativity bias and our progressively shortening attention spans. The swirling tempest of these two phenomena shapes public opinion, often unjustly laying blame at the feet of leaders for issues beyond their control. The media’s treatment of fluctuating egg, gas, and rent prices — areas over which the President has little to no influence — illustrates this propensity all too clearly.
Negativity Bias
Negativity bias, an evolutionary leftover from our need to prioritize threats for survival, colors our modern news consumption habits. This bias prompts news outlets to disproportionately report negative news, under the principle “if it bleeds, it…
