What Drives the Media Slant?

People love criticizing “the media”—or, as some sneer, the Mainstream Media. The complaints are familiar: too sensational, too shallow, too biased. But there’s a question we rarely ask: who’s actually more biased—the media or the audience?

First, it helps to define bias. Bias doesn’t always mean false information. More often, it shows up in story selection, headlines, framing, word choice, or in which voices are highlighted. Two outlets can report the same facts yet still leave audiences with very different impressions.

Start with mainstream media: major TV networks, national newspapers, and large news sites. These organizations still shape much of the public conversation and usually have editors, fact-checkers, and legal oversight. But they’re not immune to pressure. Competition for clicks, speed, and ratings can lead to oversimplification, dramatic framing, or a focus on conflict over context.

Non-mainstream media deserves scrutiny as well. Many independent creators operate without editorial guardrails, making errors more likely to spread unchecked. Sensational headlines are often used to survive, and opinion can blur into reporting. That said, dismissing all independent media would be unfair—some smaller outlets produce serious investigative work that larger organizations overlook.

The audience, however, plays a major role. Many people believe journalists lean left and act more like advocates than observers. That perception often stems from what gets covered—or how issues are framed, especially around social and cultural values. Psychology helps explain why this feels personal. Confirmation bias pushes us toward information that reinforces what we already believe. When news challenges our worldview, we don’t call it “informative”—we call it “biased.”

Of course, not everyone agrees that audiences are the main driver. Critics often argue that media organizations themselves—especially large corporate outlets—shape coverage to reflect the political leanings of their owners or the ideological preferences of their newsroom culture. They point to editorial boards, hiring patterns, and high-profile mistakes as evidence that bias originates within the institutions, not among those consuming them. There’s truth to this: newsrooms are made up of humans with their own assumptions and blind spots. But this explanation alone doesn’t capture the full picture. If bias were only top-down, we wouldn’t see such strong alignment between audience preferences and the slant of the outlets they choose. Research suggests that demand plays a powerful role, nudging outlets—consciously or not—toward the angles their audiences reward.

This helps explain why nearly eight in ten Americans say news outlets favor one side. Research by economists Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse Shapiro suggests that outlets often tilt not because of owners but because audiences reward content that aligns with their beliefs.

Technology accelerates the cycle. Social media algorithms prioritize engagement, amplifying emotionally charged stories regardless of nuance.

Journalists should still strive for fairness, accuracy, and transparency. Trust is essential to a healthy democracy. But audiences have responsibilities, too. If we want less slanted news, we may need to start by examining our own habits—before blaming the media alone.

(Tim Herrera is the author of “Public Speaking: Simple Steps to Improve Your Skills” and “Mastering Media: Strategies for Effective Communication in the Digital Age.”  You’ll find both Amazon.)