Journalists have been failing at their civic duty to keep the public accurately informed.

The job comes with a lot of responsibility, as it greatly influences the belief systems formulated by society. There have recently been numerous news media companies that have turned away from the true standards of journalism to prioritize and promote their own core values; both left and right-leaning companies have become overly biased.

The general rules of journalism are fixed across all genres: provide society with honest and unbiased news, including issues on local, national and global levels. It has reached a point where credible media sources are disregarding the most basic standard practices of journalism.

Corruption in the media is found in many forms of written journalism.

The AP Stylebook is the baseline for nearly all its standards — there are rules regarding grammar, punctuation and several other distinct guidelines. These rules are to ensure the use of formal language and objective thinking.

In September 2024, Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan Olympic runner, was brutally attacked and killed by her ex-boyfriend. Cheptegei was set on fire, causing severe burns and ultimately resulting in her death.

Numerous articles used passive language when reporting on Cheptegei’s death. The day her death was announced, an article was published by Nimi Princewill for CNN, titled “Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei dies after being set on fire by boyfriend.”

Many articles from all different sources used similar language in their title, which minimized the gravity of the news. Per the standards of AP Style writing, journalists cannot disrespect victims of an illness or a violent crime. However, using overly passive language in a serious story could be misleading and alter the readers’ understanding of the severity of the situation.

The severity of a news story might vary based on its context. Cheptegei’s story is already tragic, but it is necessary for viewers to consider its full context; there is an extreme issue with violence against women in Uganda. There is no room for passive language when discussing such a serious topic. Using “dies” in the title indicates the possibility that her death was not malicious, when it was in fact fueled by hate.

If Cheptegei had come from a different background, maybe her story would have received the proper media coverage it deserved. News regarding people of minority groups is often disregarded and diminishes the truth. This is just one example of journalists using their position to manipulate the truth.

The issue of bad journalism derives mainly from the spread of overly biased news sources. There is extreme biased media on both ends of the political spectrum, which has caused the politicization of moral-based issues. Two sources discussing the same topic could very well have two completely different claims.

In the case of President Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, reactions in the media vary.

As a commonly known right-leaning source, Fox News openly disapproves of Biden’s presidency. Shortly after Biden announced his withdrawal from the race, reporters were quick to publish their thoughts; Liz Peek from Fox News entitled her opinion article, “Good riddance to Joe Biden. The legacy he leaves behind includes some shocking failures.”

Despite the clear language used in Peek’s title, its credibility must be questioned when the information is refuted by another source. A story published by a group of authors from the left-leaning NBC News shares a different angle of the story; the title is, “Inside Biden’s historic decision to drop out of the 2024 race.”

Based on the titles alone, the articles were clearly fueled by personal biases rather than factual information. The Fox News article used direct and belittling language regarding Biden’s presidency, while the NBC article makes light of the news; the use of “failures” in the first title leaves a negative connotation of the issue, while “historic” in the second title has a more positive and celebratory undertones.

The increase of extremely biased news sources has polarized the nation. The American people are split into groups based on political and moral beliefs.

America tends to involve itself in unnecessary foreign conflicts, which ultimately divides the public on the issue of moral stance.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a similar situation, only America’s involvement is more direct. Several right-leaning news sources are outwardly pro-Israel. Lauren Green for Fox News wrote an article called “Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protests ‘cheapen the concept of genocide,’ says Jewish historian and author.” Green wrote about antisemitism and its relevance to the war, and highlighted Biden’s mistakes.

On the other hand, there are left-leaning sources that are in support of Palestine. There is an NBC News story entitled “Middle East crisis: Israel launches West Bank raids in latest Gaza escalation,” as well as several others with similar messages. Sources like NBC recognize the Palestinians struggles over property and some may argue that the violence was warranted.

Overly bias sources take away individuals’ chances to form their own opinions because journalists are reporting on their opinions as if they’re facts. Prioritizing personal beliefs over the truth defeats the concept of reporting.

With journalism in its current unreliable state, it is necessary to look beyond your typical news media source — even further than news sources that align with your personal political standing.