Blog #8 - Media Bias

It is not very common to find media outlets and news sources that are without bias.  Typically, voting populations label particular outlets as leaning liberal or conservative. These biases affect the way media sources portray certain policies, candidates, and other political concerns. In this case, I present two articles from what I consider to be "liberal" media outlet (The Huffington Post) and a "conservative" outlet (TheBlaze) concerning New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's ban on fracking in the state of New York. Between the two, how differently is Cuomo portrayed?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-gallay/why-andrew-cuomo-banned-f_2_b_6388228.html

The Huffington Post's article on Cuomo's fracking ban defends the New York governor's choice, citing the actions behind his decision as "what leadership is all about" and "what democracy is all about." The title of the article is literally "Why Andrew Cuomo Banned Fracking in New York." Descriptions of his decision making process ("he waited for the evidence to come in and listened to what his senior staff and constituents were telling him") are far from critical. Paul Gallay, the reporter behind the article, does not hide his own stance on the environmental concerns behind fracking, and praises Cuomo for "listening to the activists and senior state officials" who agreed that "fracking's adverse environmental, economic, and health impacts are simply unacceptable."

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/17/new-yorks-governor-says-hell-ban-fracking-in-the-state/

In contrast, Cuomo came under fire for his decision to ban fracking by TheBlaze assistant editor, Jon Street. This article's opening sentences contained statistics from the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute citing that the majority of upstate New Yorkers support fracking, and that despite these results, Cuomo's administration was moving forwards with the ban.  Street goes on in favor of fracking, stating that it "has generated tens of billions of dollars and reduced energy bills and fuel imports in the region" and that the long-term risks of fracking have yet to be sufficiently studied. The article also cites NY Rep. Chris Collins' criticisms of Cuomo's choice, who said that the governor was continuing to "hide behind Albany bureaucrats and controversial scientific studies to stand against hardworking New Yorkers."

Ultimately, the difference in Gov. Cuomo's portrayal in these two articles is obvious. Gallay and Street are covering the same decision that was made by Cuomo, but interpret that decision and present Cuomo in two different lights. If a person were to only read one of these articles, they would make one of two assumptions*:

The Huffington Post: "Cuomo is quite the leader wow democracy check out his listening skills what a humble yet authoritative leader he believes in science"

TheBlaze:  "Cuomo is a fracking idiot wow nothing like burying your state's economy under shale welcome to the fascist utopia of New York" 

*Full disclaimer: These are paraphrased quotes from the comments sections of the two articles.