The Negative Effects Of Partisan Media

In World War II, propaganda was a tool the Nazis used to brainwash the German public into believing the reason for their loss in World War I was due to the Jews. With the lies and false information the Nazis continued to feed to the public, they were able to obtain a large and vicious following. Today, the U.S. faces a similar issue of lies and misinformation being spread and consumed by the public through the tool of partisan media. Partisan media is a problem that is unfortunately constantly ignored because many are unaware of just how detrimental the effects of partisan media could become if not addressed and stopped soon. It is deceiving many Americans and leading them to question what and whom they can trust. Partisan media is creating

“The attack on the U.S. Capitol was based on a “Big Lie” about election fraud in 2020” (PBS). Violence is already stimulated by the lies partisan media is spreading and these attacks are only going to become increasingly maniacal. Furthermore, many believe that they are capable of avoiding the influence of partisan media because they can avoid it. “Hmielowski and Sparks examined readability, sentiment, and tone of partisan media outlets and found that non-partisan outlets are harder to read than extremely partisan outlets and that the patterns exist both on the right and left sides of the political spectrum” (ufl). Partisan media is easier to read which attracts readers and this ultimately leads them to fall victim to partisan media’s tricks. Unfortunately, people are unaware that they are being deceived by partisan media and are enacting violence based on fake news which is a substantial issue the U.S. is

Partisan media has led many to often find themselves making an immediate assumption about someone's political affiliation just by looking at them. For example, someone may assume someone is republican if they are wearing a cross necklace and that someone is a liberal if they have blue hair. “By just seeing or meeting someone, people might immediately engage in partisan categorization and stereotyping without knowing anything else about these individuals.” (core.ac.uk). Partisan media has forced an image into people’s minds of what an average republican and liberal should look like and these stereotypes are only separating people more. Additionally, these immediate stereotypes people make are affecting Republicans' and democrat's ability to peacefully share a community. “44% of highly engaged Democrats and nearly as many highly engaged Republicans (38%) say it would be harder to get along with a new person in the community if they were a member of the other party.” (Pew Research). People are so consumed by political stereotypes that they immediately conclude they will not like someone if they have opposing views. The stereotypes partisan media is spreading are separating citizens of the U.S. People can’t see past these stereotypes and this is ultimately sending the U.S. backward rather than