Running head: OMISSION OF TRUTH

Omission of Truth: A Review of Literature

Aleeza Kaplan
Cristina Melendez
The University of Texas at El Paso

Kaplan, Melendez 1

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Abstract

Omission of Truth is an analysis of modern censorship and the relevance of its effect in
American society. People are constantly being bombarded with all kinds of information, but how
much of that information has been altered to manipulate the viewer? By comparing the modern
censorship displayed by CNN and Fox News, this Literature Review exposes the reality behind
modern censorship in America.

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Omission of Truth: A Review of Literature

Censorship has always existed, but modern censorship began when news started being
broadcasted on television. The term censorship was coined initially by the Roman Empire as early as 443
BCE (Mette Newth, 2010). It was considered a responsibility for the government to shape the Roman
citizens perspective, so censorship was considered honorable (Mette Newth, 2010). Modern censorship,
however, started with mass media production. The first recorded newscast in the United States happened in
1939 with Lowell Thomas, which marks the probable beginning of modern censorship. This issue of
omission has evolved alongside mass media growth. Networks have been able to adapt to greater and more
diverse audiences as mass media has become more accessible. Therefore, they cover different aspects of
issues than they used to. Modern censorship is a public concern because it shapes peoples opinions and
perspectives consequently affecting their actions. In addition, it is pressing because there are no laws for
everyday news to prevent its occurrence. The following research questions have the intended purpose to
alert the public about the current issue of modern censorship:
1. What types of modern censorship appear in the news networks?
2. Do CNN and Fox News use modern censorship in order to affect their audience?
3. Are there any governmental policies addressing the censorship within CNN and
Fox News?
4. What additional policies should be implemented to regulate modern censorship?
This paper involves the issue of modern censorship by focusing on CNN and Fox News
and how their censorship of news affects citizens of the United States. The main purpose of this
paper is to inform readers about the presence of modern censorship in todays media and to
encourage them to question the sources they encounter in their daily lives. In order to do so, the
goal was to investigate how prominent modern censorship is and to find whether there are any
policies preventing its occurrence. Exploring the censorship of CNN and Fox News, peoples
perception of the news stations, and the existence of policies in the United States concerning

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modern censorship will provide an in depth comprehension of the matter. An examination of

these factors will amplify the readers knowledge and understanding of modern censorship.
a. What types of modern censorship appear in the news networks?
The idea that media is bias has always been a subject of controversy. There are individuals who
believe it is ubiquitous whereas others deny its prevalence in the discourse community. Prior to
investigating whether media sources are prejudiced, this paper will expand on the denotation of modern
censorship. The online publisher Project Censored defines modern censorship as The subtle yet constant
and sophisticated manipulation of reality in our mass media outlets (2015). This source believes that the
omitting of information is censorship, and that it has repercussions on the American population.
One of the aspects of media censorship attempts to investigate whether it is beneficial or not. For
example, Washington Post Author Paul Farhl said 77% of those surveyed by Pew research centersaid that
media tend to favor one side. Moreover, Farhl mentions several perspectives on the existence of modern
censorship. For Example he displays the studies of Tim Groseclose (Political Science and Economics
Professor at UCLA, 2012) who investigated how bias the media is. Groseclose concluded, Most media
organizations align with the views of liberal politicians(Fahrl, 2012). This represents one of the many
examples of opinions on this issue.
This type of manipulation, according to Project Censorship, can manifest itself in the political, economic,
legal, and social form. Political censorship happens when information has the potential to affect the public
image of a political figure, governamental organization (CIA), or any person or institution that is affiliated
somehow to the government. On the other hand, economic censorship is the omission of data that may be able
to alter the growth of a countrys economy. Legal censorship is when a network restricts the publicity of licit
events, such as court cases, in order to influence the masses. Finally, the media sources censor certain objects
of controversy, especially events such as the Swine Flu mass epidemic, in order to prevent public hysteria.

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Modern censorship can be perceived as imperative or completely unwelcomed. This is the case presented
by movie director Steven Spielberg who stated, There is a fine line between censorship and good taste and
moral responsibility (BrainyQuote, 2015). This belief justifies censorship because it would prevent public
hysteria, underage exposure to violent or sexual material. In addition, they argue that the focus on specific
news is time efficient. For instance, during the war in Iraq, soldiers received heavy coverage in the television
networks. However, it can be contended that not every clip of footage is necessary for the understanding of
the viewers of the warfront.
Unlike the previous opinion, many people hold the belief that censorship should not be present in their
society. For instance, British novelist Salman Rushdie asserted, An attack upon our ability to tell stories is
not just censorship - it is a crime against our nature as human beings (BrainyQuote, 2015). This is the type of
statement that rebukes any type of censorship because it is not justifiable. This notion of censorship being
inexcusable stems from the fear of media manipulation, which prevents the population from looking at
different sides of the same story. This has been used and could be used in the future by public figures, such as
politicians, to manipulate the masses.
b. Do CNN and Fox News use modern censorship in order to affect their audience?
The effects of modern censorship by CNN and Fox News presented themselves in many ways. In
order to investigate the issue of censorship in these networks directly, a survey was given on Sunday,
March 22nd, 2015 to 32 participants. The age of the partakers ranged from fourteen to eighty-three, and
an even number of males and females were questioned. The assessment was conducted in El Paso, Texas
at the following locations: Starbucks, Kinleys Coffee and Tea Houses, and Barnes & Noble. The
participants were questioned about their preference between Fox News and CNN in addition to their
reasons supporting their predilection.

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The results of the survey were divided into three main categories: a preference for Fox News,
CNN, or neither. Although the assessment included a variety of ages and opinions, several participants did
not watch the news frequently. The results portrayed that 34% of the participants did not lean to neither
CNN nor Fox News. The remaining people in the sample preferred one station over the other, but the
results showed no overall fondness for one network. This is because the results between Fox News and
CNN were split evenly with a percentage of approximately 31 each.
The preference given by participants in the survey was related to modern censorship on the other
end. For the most part, they believed that their chosen network presented a better picture of the reality and
included several perspectives. For instance, a thirty-six year old male stated that Fox News was more
sensationalized meaning that the networks purpose was to entertain rather than inform the audience. On
the other hand, a fifty-eight year old male expressed that Fox News was more balanced and covered
both sides of an issue.
The omission of data that led to these opinions shows the effects of modern censorship. The
omission of facts led the contributors to have prejudice towards a network, switch to another, or stop
watching news altogether. For example, a forty-two year old female avoided both networks because she

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felt they only presented the American perspective of global news. It was the censorship that pushed her to
explore foreign networks instead of Fox News or CNN in the United States.

For a better understanding of the effects on modern censorship, a graph based on the age of the
participants was produced. The results shown in Graph B clearly depict that age is a factor when it comes
to preference in a news network. The majority of young participants were inclined to favor Fox News, the
middle range of the sample had no specific preference, and the people above forty leaned towards CNN.
This demonstrates that the target audience for Fox News is younger than that of CNN. Perhaps they omit
information that does not appeal their target audience and this censorship in turn undermines their
credibility.
c. Are there any governmental policies addressing the censorship within CNN and Fox News?
Currently, there are few policies in place to regulate the omission of facts by these networks.
These censorship regulations have been imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an
independent governmental agency that regulates the radio, television, and phone industries (All Gov,
2015). The FCC believes networks should be a form of public trust which requires balanced and fair
coverage of controversial issues(Gill, 2015).

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Their first regulation attempt was the Fairness Doctrine. This policy stated broadcasters needed to
provide equal opportunity for controversial news (Gill, 2015, p. 1). This law was then repealed in 1987,
during the Reagan administration (Gill, 2015). However, it did not extend to news programs, interviews
and documentaries. Therefore, CNN and Fox News were unaffected by this law.
Their second policy effort, the Equal Time Rule, discusses airtime and how it should be equal for
each political candidate. This policy thus begins when both candidates state they are running for office.
The Equal Time Rule affects both CNN and Fox News because it contains the following four restrictions:
regularly scheduled newscasts, news interviews shows, documentaries (unless the documentary is about a
candidate), and on-the-spot news events (Gill, 2015). Therefore, the news networks have to conscious of
all the restrictions excluding documentaries.
The major difference between the two is the topic they regulate. The Equal Time Rule regulates
the airtime of political candidates whereas the Fairness Doctrine asserted the publics right to hear a
reasonably balanced presentation of all perspectives regarding controversial topics (Democratic
Underground, LLC, 2009). In addition, the former policy is still in enactment and the latter was repealed.
The reason there are no additional policies at the moment is that the government finds any type of
regulation to be unconstitutional and a breach of freedom of speech. For instance, there was a key case
concerning the Fairness Act where an institution, Syracuse Peace Council, referred to the act in order to
complain about an editorial that was being one sided (Gill, 2015). The editorial headed by Meredith Corp
retaliated that the Fairness Act was limiting the First Amendment of the Constitution (Gill, 2015). The
fact that Corp won the case shows that the government finds any type of regulation to be against the rights
of the American citizens.
Based on the information mentioned above, one can infer that news networks are, for the most
part, unregulated. Therefore, day-to-day newscasts can present the information they believe is important
and censor whatever they find unnecessary. CNN and Fox News are both guilty of having done this at one

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point or another, which can be proven by the subsequent examples. According to Project Censored
(2014), CNN took down a report written by a doctor that conflicted with their support of the vaccine
industry just twenty-four hours after it was posted. In a similar situation, Fox News distorted a story about
a bovine growth hormone and its effects on human health in order to prevent negative publicity for the
manufacturers (Project Censored, 2010). Fox News responded that there are no written rules against
distorting news in the media and that under the First Amendment, broadcasters have the right to lie or
deliberately distort news reports on public airwaves (Project Censored, 2010). This quote shows that as
long as there is a freedom of speech, modern censorship will remain unregulated in the United States.
d. What additional policies should be implemented to regulate modern censorship?
There are several possible systems that might be able to deter the omission of information by
CNN and Fox News. The ones that will be mentioned in the subsequent paragraphs are a production of
the primary and secondary research previously done for this paper. In order to examine which regulation
might be the best one, this paper will analyze the benefits and negative consequences of each alternative.
The first involves the Equal Time Rule that was mentioned before, but instead of granting time
during elections for opposing candidates, the news networks would be required to grant time to opposing
viewpoints. This policy would require an organization or a group of experts to oversee that CNN and Fox
News are presenting more than one perspective. This regulation would theoretically allow the public to
weigh the circumstances of a current issue and incite them to form a greater picture of the reality.
Unfortunately, the extension of the Equal Time Rule is high cost, because the networks would have to hire
more employees. Also, since the different perspectives would require longer air time, the news networks
would have to cut down segments that are considered less important, which in turn creates more
censorship.
Unlike the option described above, there are two other policies that take a harder approach
towards modern censorship: punishment. The first requires that the networks responsible for having

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omitted information for their own benefits should release a public apology, and should disclose the
remaining information. Instead, the second possibility imposes a fine to the news network depending on
the gravity of their misconduct. However, all of these policies would require a committee or organization
to analyze the severity of modern censorship given off by CNN and Fox News.
The creation of national and local committees that examine the daily scripts of CNN and Fox
News could be as follows. After having read the scripts, the members of the committees would revise if
they find that the networks are being impartial by omitting information. The committees would be located
in cities with a population of over a million citizens and would consist of at least three employees with
college degrees in each site. Ideally, this organization is a preventative measure that would avert public
bias due to the revision of the script beforehand. The problem with this policy is the funding and more
specifically the source of the funding. This project could be subsidized by the government or financed by
the networks themselves. However, this presents an issue because both of these sources are the
perpetrators of modern censorship itself. In addition, the committees would not favor smaller towns,
because they would not receive funding for this project at their location.
Finally, if the previous alternatives are not feasible due to lack of funding and widespread
support, the government may be able to impose a rule that obligates CNN and Fox News to issue a
disclaimer before their screenings. The disclaimer would express that news networks are omitting some
information due to insufficient air time, and that the viewers should not take this one source as the whole
truth. This option is pragmatic, because it presents no additional cost to the news network, and effective,
because it would alert the audience and possibly encourage them to do further research. Therefore, this
might be the best option in comparison to the other policies because it avoids the conflict involved with
regulating CNN and Fox News.

This Literature Review is an analysis of the topic of media bias in the, specifically
modern censorship, in the News realm of the United States of America. It is of vital importance

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for the reader to understand it because it molds perspectives through the omission of information.
It is also relevant because it cannot be monitored; therefore, there is no way for the viewer to
know the entirety of a news story, which allows for manipulation of the masses. Modern
Censorship presents itself in political, social, economic, and legal forms. Each of these are used
to influence the viewers into thinking a certain way, and may be cause to their future demeanor.
Therefore in order to investigate further, this paper isolated the two popular news stations CNN
and Fox News and compared their use of modern censorship through primary research. By doing
so, the conclusion reached was that both CNN and Fox News contained some degree of
censorship, which propelled viewers to watch or even avoid certain broadcasts. Finally, the last
part of the investigation was the examination of current policies in regard to modern censorship.
Presently, there is one policy that oversees censorship, but covers election time only. However,
during the remainder of the year, no laws are in effect that may prevent modern censorship to
reach the American public. Therefore, this paper explored the possibilities of an effective policy
to monitor modern censorship in the news realm.

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References

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Casten, L. (2010). 11. The Media Can Legally Lie. Project Censored. Retrieved from
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Democratic Underground. (2010). The Fairness Doctrine vs. The Equal Time Rule. Democratic
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?
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Gill, K. (2015). What is the Equal Time Rule? About News. Retrieved from
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Wallechinsky, D. (2015). Federal Communications Commission (FCC). All Gov. Retrieved from
http://www.allgov.com/departments/independent-agencies/federal-communicationscommission-fcc?agencyid=7325