The Impact Of Messenger Bias And The News
When it comes to believing what we hear, who is delivering the news matters a lot. What I dub as “messenger bias,” or the inability to see some truths in a viewpoint based on who is delivering the information, plays out in many ways. An example in our personal lives might be if our partner calls us out on something, we may not listen, but if a friend does the same, we may be more open to it. An example in our workplaces may be that employees often have opinions about what’s needed to improve workplace culture, but may not be heard until an “objective” outside consultant is hired and comes to the same conclusion.
We see this play out in the media, with vastly different conclusions drawn from the same facts. Let’s take a recent example of the Wuhan Lab Leak theory. Regardless of which end of the political spectrum you may fall on, the way this possibility was either investigated or ignored was largely dependent upon the messenger. When Republicans such as Tom Cotton and Donald Trump spoke about the lab leak, it was dismissed, as they had a history of inciting untruths and so weren’t deemed as the most credible. In addition, Trump angled his messaging as anti-Asian, so many people on the left would not listen to his viewpoint. And the media could have covered this possibility more objectively, but it wasn’t given any plausible attention until recently, when President Biden ordered an investigation. As a president who is perceived by many as more moderate and stays out of the fray of controversy, the perception went from it being a conspiracy to more of a possibility.
We may never have any definitive answers, but the point is that the messenger may be just as important as the message itself. And bias plays a big role in how we perceive messages.
Misinformation is becoming increasingly problematic in the pandemic era, which can have devastating effects on our health, our businesses, our schools, and our economy. After all, messaging can impact our beliefs, and our beliefs drive our actions.
A new survey by the email newsletter 1440 of over 2,000 news consumers finds that:
- 97% feel the media is at least somewhat biased
- 77% of those polled said they do not feel well-informed after consuming the news
- 79% admit they find it stressful to discuss these topics for fear of starting an argument or ruining their relationships
Our beliefs are based on our social identities, and we often hold onto beliefs even in the face of conflicting data, as a way to preserve our identities within a social group. But just because you don’t agree with one point from “the other side,” doesn’t mean you should dismiss all points without further consideration. Doing so may be easier and more comfortable, because it allows you to hold onto your identity as a “liberal” or a “conservative,” but it ultimately doesn’t serve the common good when we become dogmatic in our viewpoints.
So how do we stay open to new information, regardless of the messenger, and check our biases? Curiosity and finding commonality is the key.
I love this quote from an unknown author, “Open-minded people don’t care to be right, they care to understand. There’s never a right or wrong answer. Everything is about understanding.”
Whether it’s a conversation with your partner, your best friend, or your colleague, when thinking only of proving our point, or being heard, or shutting down another’s point of view who we don’t agree with, we feel stressed, and it literally makes us more closed minded.
It narrows our attention and perspective, pushing us to focus on right versus wrong rather than seeing multiple perspectives.
When people lack openness, it can deepen divides. The ability to cultivate openness offers an opportunity to create greater connection and understanding.
We may not agree with another’s point of view, and we certainly can’t dismantle larger systemic issues simply by having an open mind or a single conversation. However, learning to cultivate greater openness in ourselves has the power to create connection and impact. It starts with being curious, asking questions, listening more than we speak, and finding commonalities where we once could see only differences.
If more of us made a mindful effort to remain open, our interactions could look very different than the polarization we’re seeing every day in the news. And it starts with each of us, one mindset at a time.
