Logan Zweifel

Professor Marc Pinheiro-Cadd

WLC 148 Final Research Paper

December 3, 2020

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Introduction:

Intercultural communication is “the study and practice of communication across

cultural contexts” (IDRInstitute). In the United States of America, intercultural

communication plays a vital role because of the wide array of people and cultures that

make up the country. There are many factors that can influence intercultural

communication both positively and negatively. One of the most influential factors on

intercultural communication is media. Media is “the communication channels through

which we disseminate news, music, movies, education, promotional messages and

other data” (What is Media?), with these components in mind, there is a negative role of

influence on intercultural communication in the United States of America through print,

broadcast, and internet media due to factors like biases, misinformation, and relevancy.

Print Media:

Print media is made up by any form of publication that acts as a means for

communicating news, messages, data, etc. These publications may include reports,

books, journals, and most popularly newspapers and magazines (What is Media? /

Different Types of Media). Today in print media we can still see biases, through

headlines, writings, and ownership of printing companies, misinformation through the

presentation of information, and a fight to stay relevant in changing times.

Within all of these forms of print publication there is room for a bias to be present.

Biases in print media date all the way back to its birth. There were only a specific

number of people that could afford the equipment needed to produce print media, which

allowed for a limited group of opinions to be portrayed (Boundless Political Science).

Due to there being only a specific number of people able to afford the equipment,

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opinions and information being pushed out was limited to a small group of bias opinions

rather than opinions that were equally represented. This holds true today as there are a

group of fifteen billionaires that collectively own and run America’s news media

companies. To exemplify the effect of this, Rupert Murdoch and his family control 120

newspapers, Donald and Samuel Newhouse own the largest privately owned

newspaper chain that is the supplier to 25 cities and towns throughout America, and

Warren Buffett owns 70 daily newspapers with Berkshire Hathaway that expand across

Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama (America’s News Media

Companies, Vinton). These are just a couple of examples that show a small group of

people having a large influence on companies that deliver a majority of the news to U.S.

citizens. With select ownership comes writing and headline bias. These owners have

power to control the headlines and information they put out to citizens. Within news

stories, pivotal details can be added or dismissed based upon the writer. These biases

can sway citizen’s opinions and can cause friction amongst different cultural groups as

a result misinformation or misrepresentation.

In a 2019 survey, 47% of U.S. citizens revealed that they had seen “fake news”

or viewed information that was inaccurate through print media (Fake News in Print

Media). This goes to show that misinformation is present in the print media industry now

more than ever before. As a result of misinformation, people can be misled to

conclusions and perceptions that create negative differences across cultures ultimately

effecting intercultural communication in a negative sense. Misleading information brings

major impacts like fear, violence, and development of racist tendencies (Impacts of

Fake News). All of these components directly affect intercultural communication. The

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biases listed above help shape news headlines as well as twist information within print

to help sway you to a certain viewpoint, often times these are political viewpoints. Media

and politics have been intertwined for far too long and they are the root of many

disagreements among people. These disagreements can be civil, but often can drive a

larger gap between people of different cultures.

Another issue at hand for print media is the ongoing fight to stay relevant. Print

media is one of the most historical means of communicating information but has since

been passed up by broadcast and internet media. Since 2004, about 1,800 newspapers

have closed in the U.S. (Newsrooms Across America, Kristen Hare). In addition to this,

from the years 2008-2018 newspaper revenues dropped 62% and newsroom

employment at U.S. newspaper companies decreased 47% (State of the News Media).

These numbers highlight the fact that newspaper industry is in a decline in the U.S.

Much like newspaper companies, other forms of print media are also declining in place

of broadcast and internet media. Thanks to this decline, print media companies are

getting more and more desperate to stay relevant and profitable. This decline drives the

print media industry to come up with ways to stay relevant such as bold headlines that

take a positional stance hoping to appeal to consumers of the industry that have closely

aligned opinions. This fight to stay relevant drives media companies into unethical

grounds. As a result, intercultural communication takes a toll at the expense of media

companies’ attempted success.

Broadcasting Media:

Broadcast media is the most popular way for U.S. citizens to stay updated on

important information and news. Broadcast media covers a wide range of methods used

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to communicate information to mass amounts of people at one time. The methods for

communicating broadcast media include but are not limited to television, radio, film, and

podcasts (What is Media? / Different Types of Media).

There are many ways that biases can be identified in broadcast media. It can be

found in things as simple as a segment headline or can even be identified within how

information is being presented by a company or host. According to Lumen Learning,

“broadcast media has been used as a mechanism for propaganda from its earliest days”

(Boundless Political Science). With this being said, media companies deliver information

that reflect the opinions of the company as well as individuals that make up that

company. Because of this, citizens are provided with limited information that align with

specific cultures or viewpoints, hence demoting diversity. If citizens consistently use one

media source for their information, they begin to form opinions from that information,

which often times doesn’t reveal all sides or varying viewpoints. Biases among media

sources have been a growing concern in the U.S. due to the amount of friction and

difference that is driven between different cultures.

It is hard to call out media for broadcasting misinformation unless it is blatant

because often times they cover developing stories. Because of that, they are able to

help consumers draw conclusions through word choice, headlines, and the absence of

context. Unfortunately this is a loophole in the FCC’s (Broadcasting False Information,

FCC) regulation rules as it is not deemed misinformation unless there is false

information provided for a story that is factually “complete” (Broadcasting False

Information, FCC). It is growing more and more popular to fact check media sources

online when it comes to watching and listening to media sources (this will be discussed

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more in-depth in a later section). The problem here is that there is no in-depth legal

overseer of what is regulated through media. There is the FCC, but they are only

present for obvious violations. This causes the work to fall to the consumer. Often times

consumers are reliant on the information they see presented to them. This means that

they are not checking multiple sources or fact checkers to confirm they are receiving

accurate information as well as getting multiple viewpoints on the situation before

forming an opinion. With this, biases are allowed to lead citizens through a form of

misinformation, not providing or purposely leaving out key details, to draw conclusions

that can be harmful to intercultural communications.

Along with print media, broadcast media is also fighting to stay relevant with U.S.

citizens, especially the younger generations. Although 44% of Americans still claim to

get their media through broadcast methods (Key Findings About the Online News

Landscape in America, Geiger), they are seeing a decline as the leader of the industry.

Since 2014, broadcast networks saw a 20% decreasing in viewers, which equivalates

out to roughly 7.3 million viewers (Five Years of Network Ratings Decline, Porter). This

decline has been occurring as a cause of the incline that internet streaming and online

media sources have seen recently. This is due to younger generations having more

options and mobile accessibility for media sources due to recent online development.

Similar to print media, these factors play into the decision making of broadcast media

companies just as it plays into the content these companies are passing along to their

viewers.

Internet Media:

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 Internet media, which is becoming increasingly popular, includes social media,

websites, blogs, and forums where important information can be relayed to groups of

people (What is Media? / Different Types of Media). Within internet media there are

many opportunities for barriers of communication to exist. These barriers can include

but are not limited to emotional barriers, communication barriers, and credibility barriers.

In the appendix there is a chart that shows the different leanings of each online

media company (All Sides Media Bias Chart). This chart exemplifies the biases that are

found within online media only. Ideally in media, there would be non-bias sources to

deliver information to U.S. Citizens. These biases are sometimes evident, but other

times they can be subtle. It is important for consumers to know what side of the

spectrum their media sources are from, so that it is easier to recognize various biases.

One of the reasons that internet media has seen a recent growth, revolves around the

concept of interaction through media platforms. Websites and especially social media

provide a platform not only for consumers to receive information, but also provide a

location post information and voice specific opinions. In some cases, this opportunity

can be abused through cyberbullying and hate speech. There are five main ways that

hate via internet media can be grouped; Slippery Slope, Power of Love, Radicalization

in Like-Minded Groups, Radicalization Under Isolation, and Othering/Dehumanization

(Impact of Online Hate). Slippery Slope refers to a situation when one justifies their

actions/hate by identifying wrong doings of the other party. Power of Love refers to

support from other users that fuels the negative actions/hate of another. Radicalization

in Like-Minded groups refers to the idea of group members people surround themselves

with that feed into the radicalization of various opinions and stances. Radicalization

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Under Isolation refers to defense mechanisms taken when an opinion that an individual

closely algins with is under attack. Othering/Dehumanization refers to the effort to make

other groups or people of varying opinions feel dehumanized because of their beliefs

and opinions. Although internet media has good intentions, there are many ways for

users to abuse platforms and use them as a way to drive a larger means of division

among people of unlike cultures.

On account of internet media being a popular platform to post and voice

opinions, there is no definitive way to filter out every piece of misinformation that occurs

on social media or other online platforms. However, fact-checking websites are

beginning to grow more and more popular. Fact-checking websites aim to provide the

cold hard facts that have been brought to citizens through all forms of media. Yet only

half of Americans believe fact-checkers are non-biased (Americans don’t trust the

Media, Flamini). It is clear that there needs to be a better fit solution for fact checking

information on internet medias as well as a better system to identify and filter out hate

between users. By factoring out hate, there is an opportunity to hear and understand

why others think and feel the way they do, which ultimately allows for communication

and understanding that benefits intercultural communication.

In 2018, 34% of U.S. citizens said they like to get their news online through

various sources. That number is on the rise from 28% in 2016, increasing 6% in 2

years. Internet media is one of the fastest growing industries within media, it is more

convenient and more appealing to the young generations of the U.S. Internet media,

especially social media, is focused on bringing people together, however they can do

just as much bad as good. Social media and other internet media sources have had to

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quickly come up with solutions to the negativity that can be caused on their platforms

but have not been able to completely eliminate every negative aspect. 28% of internet

users have quit Facebook, 32% have deactivated Twitter, and 42% have left Snapchat

all to escape negativity (Does Negativity Drive Users Off Social Media?, Suciu). Without

being able to eliminate all negative aspects there is still an opportunity, that frequently

occurs, for posts and comments to drive people further apart through difference in

opinion and hate.

Conclusion:

This detailed break down of print, broadcast, and internet media shows that there

are issues within media in the United States of America. Through three key factors

found in media, biases, misinformation, and relevancy, it is easy to see that intercultural

communication is negatively affected. The results of these negative effects lead to hate

and a further divide between cultural groups in America. Media, an idea that is

supposed to bring people closer, can be abused in various different ways that create

barriers across cultures. These barriers help identify and highlight differences in a

negative sense in place of promoting similarities. Media is a great thing, when used

properly. Media companies need to understand their weaknesses and focus on ways to

better their companies as well as the information they provide so that communities can

be brought closer together instead of further driving them apart. It is evident that media

can negatively affect intercultural communication in the United States of America

because of biases, misinformation, and relevancy issues found in print, broadcast, and

internet media.

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Appendix:

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 Works Cited

“AllSides Media Bias Chart.” AllSides, 23 Sept. 2020, www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-

chart.

Boundless. “Boundless Political Science.” Lumen, courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-

politicalscience/chapter/media-bias/.

“Broadcasting False Information.” Federal Communications Commission, 12 Mar. 2020,

www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/broadcasting-false-information.

Flamini, Daniela. “Most Republicans Don't Trust Fact-Checkers, and Most Americans Don't
Trust the Media.” Poynter, 20 Aug. 2019, www.poynter.org/ifcn/2019/most-republicans-
dont-trust-fact-checkers-and-most-americans-dont-trust-the-media/.

Geiger, A.W. “Key Findings about the Online News Landscape in America.” Pew Research
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Hare, Kristen. “The Coronavirus Has Closed More than 60 Local Newsrooms across America.
And Counting.” Poynter, 28 Oct. 2020, www.poynter.org/locally/2020/the-coronavirus-
has-closed-more-than-25-local-newsrooms-across-america-and-counting/?campaign_id=9.

“Impact of Online Hate.” MediaSmarts, 29 May 2019, mediasmarts.ca/online-hate/impact-

online-hate.

“Impacts of Fake News.” 30sec To Check It Out, 10 Jan. 2019,

30secondes.org/en/module/impacts-of-fake-news/.

“Intercultural Communication.” IDRInstitute, www.idrinstitute.org/resources/intercultural-

communication/.

Porter, Rick. “TV Long View: Five Years of Network Ratings Declines in Context.” The
Hollywood Reporter, 22 Sept. 2019, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/five-years-
network-ratings-declines-explained-1241524.

“Presence of Fake News in Print Media Worldwide by Country 2019.” Statista, 24 June 2019,
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Suciu, Peter. “Does Negativity Drive Users Off Social Media?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 13
Nov. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2019/11/15/does-negativity-drive-users-off-
social-media/?sh=1543a42f6dfb.

“Trends and Facts on Newspapers: State of the News Media.” Pew Research Center's
Journalism Project, 4 Feb. 2020, www.journalism.org/fact-sheet/newspapers/.

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Vinton, Kate. “These 15 Billionaires Own America's News Media Companies.” Forbes, Forbes
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“What Is Media? Definition and Meaning.” Market Business News, 13 Feb. 2019,
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