| Media bias is part of an ongoing popular and academic discussion on how neutral and comprehensive journalists should be in their reporting and writing. Although objectivity has long been rejected as an ideal by media scholars, it still pervades American newsrooms. This study analyzed newspaper coverage on the extension of the Bush tax cuts in 2010 in the five highest-circulating U.S. national newspapers. Using framing theory, this qualitative discourse analysis showed that the tax discussion was framed as a conflict between political parties, individual politicians, or socioeconomic classes. It showed that there is no overall liberal or conservative bias in the general news articles. However, the analysis showed both liberally and conservatively biased news analyses in each newspaper. The newspapers focused on the political struggle in the tax discussion, but mostly neglected to include details on the various tax proposals or non-political sources, such as nonpartisan tax experts and affected citizens. This was supported by the use of polarizing war and business metaphors. Journalists also used many sources that were not identified, but generalized under groups of people with similar professional backgrounds, such as "Republicans," "Democrats," or "economists." Without specifying the sources, readers cannot verify them or decide whether they find them credible. |
