When consumers consume national news, they are supposed to be receiving an accurate and unbiased reflection of local, national and world issues. However, this may not always be the case due to limitations that affect the packaging and presentation of these reports. This exploratory study will examine three types of media, local news, national news and satire news, to see what factors influence their objectivity.
A few national cable news channels have been launched in recent years. One is the Fox Business Network (FBN), which was launched in 2007; its parent company, News Corporation, had previously complained that the business-oriented CNBC channel was too negative towards businesses and promised to launch a more “business friendly” network. Another is Cheddar, which was established in 2017 and operates on a subscription model with some content free and others paywalled; the channel has recently started to transition to cable systems, following its purchase by Altice USA in 2019.
Other nationally available cable news channels include CNN, MSNBC, ABC News and Bloomberg Television. The latter two are part of the Bloomberg media empire and have a focus on business and politics. The latter is the most politically active of these networks and has attracted a number of high-profile hosts, such as John Oliver, Joy Behar and Kellyanne Conway.
Regional 24-hour cable news channels that have a focus on local or statewide issues include Spectrum News (New York and North Carolina), NY1 and the New England Cable News network. New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD) is an English language international news channel, based in New York City and with production centers around the globe, that has ties to the Falun Gong new religious movement and its flagship newspaper The Epoch Times; NTD’s editorial stance is anti-Communist and supportive of right-wing policies.