Abstract

Media now holds a prominent place in public life. Media outlets serve as a faster platform for spreading news and knowledge. Media news widely influences public voting behaviour and public opinions towards politics, both media and politics are interdependent, as politicians are always in need of a big and faster platform to convey their message easily and speedily to the nation, so the political bodies always keep tight connections with the media, similarly media too always in need of news content in order to keep update the nation about political affairs of a country and to keep growing media business. This study investigates the public perceptions of media biasedness towards politics, and of media influences on public voting behaviour

Key Words:

Politics, Political Parties, Cultivation Theory, Politicians, Democracy

Introduction

The role of media has become a crucial part of political affairs all around the world. Political activists and media channels consider social media as a means for a broad transition of news and opinions. Merolla and Soto (2011) stated that the media not only acts as a source of information for voters but also decides the political agenda. Moreover, the Media analyzes the victory and failures of candidates, governments and electoral bodies. Closs and Nikoltchev (2004) noted that mass media have changed the nature of the relationship between politicians and people and this relationship becomes clearer during election campaigns. They argue that mass media present the manifestos and policies of candidates and party-political and consequently distress electoral procedure. The powerful effects of media on polling practice can change the casual of any applicant and political party. Chandrappa (2014) argues that mass media guarantee free, fair and transparent elections as the press acts as a watchdog. Undoubtedly, elections in the absence of independent media and free press will never serve the cause of democratic elections. The media need to maintain high standards of professionalism, unbiasedness, impartiality, accuracy, objectivity, and balance while covering political events in a democratic society. Fair coverage and equal admission to all candidates and political parties will ensure suitable media behaviour during election campaigns and political events. The media's role is fundamental in influencing voters’ choices of selecting political parties and political thinking because people learn about politics through media. Della Vigna and Kaplan (2008) declared that the news media sometimes promote inaccurate news or may misrepresent facts in order to create bias in voters or to promote some political news for personal interest that cause biasedness in voters.

In journalism, the topic of objectivity in news reporting is a widely focused topic,       and the issue of biasedness in news investigated by many researchers (Maras, 2012), but the scholars measured and investigated news bias in the structure of the different media systems by utilizing different methodologies in order to draw accurate results (Hopmann, Aelst, & Legnante, 2012). The role of objectivity in news is fundamental as objectivity means to provide information rather than analysis. Media must act as a facilitator of providing knowledge in a democratic society and objectively present facts News media objectivity should serve public awareness and accurate political choices. (Schudson, 2001). If we talk about Political Communication, During elections, media is used as a platform to promote political parties. The political parties and nominees have an obvious right to promote their party's ideological plans and political agendas. With the help of mass media parties and candidates used to run campaigns through sponsored direct access spots, televised debates paid political advertising and promotion parties on social media. Hence the purpose of Political communication is the use of media to influence the voters’ choices and decisions regarding the selection of parties (Foster, 2010). Attitudes, opinions, and even it is believed that voters' behaviours are also influenced by media (Schmitt-Beck, 2004). Connections between the political behaviours of voters and political communications are created in particular contexts and situations (Craig, 2004). The biasedness of media can be captured clearly during the days of elections. As During elections, people give a vote for those candidates who are promoted by the media the most because most of the voters use media sources to know the political bodies Kuyper (2002) claimed that the voters' knowledge of political nominees can be twisted by media bias. Since 2002 Media in Pakistan attained much-desired freedom, and a number of television channels have appeared. Present Pakistani media present news on issues without analyzing its results (Mezzera & Sial, 2010). Media can attract and divert public attention easily and can direct the audience's focus to any issue that favours power and divert focus from rival groups (Kelly & Pax, 2004). The objective of this research is to investigate the perceptions of the public about media biasedness towards politics? and to investigate perceptions of the public about media bias influences on voters’ political behaviours.

Literature Review

During elections Media news content significantly influenced public political opinions as the freedom of media courage have always been known as a foundation of democracy. Many scholars attempted to investigate the issue of media biasedness towards politics and media influence on public behaviours towards political nominees. The world has become a ‘Global village’ with the help of media, a term given by Marshal McLuhan. The development of mass media and modern technology increased the faster interactions among the people than ever, and the role of media gained strong importance in worldly affairs including politics, like other matters of life the role of media in political affairs is also of immense value as the political parties, their plans and agendas and the electoral process all are presented through the help of media (Seaman, 2012). Media plays a significant role in agenda-setting and policymaking as it is used to promote some matters in a better way to get the attention of the audience. Politicians nowadays strongly consider the power of media to increase their votes (Dalen & Aelst 2014). Media is used as a platform to get fame and interact with the public. Politicians are dependent on media as they need to attract the voters by interacting with them widely, easily and to convey their message properly, so for that purpose they use media as a platform to keep connected with the public. (Lozanov et al. 2011).

(Chiang & Knight 2011) stated that commendations of mass media are influential in the sense that voters are mostly given a vote for the promoted nominees. Taylor (2013) claimed that media create knowledge about politics and efficacy, but weakens faith in government. 

Similarly Ullah (2020) while investigating the biasedness of media towards politics found in his study that media play a central role in the electoral process and election campaigns. Politics and media are interdependent and this relationship becomes more apparent at times of election campaigns. While exploring the effects of Pakistani private television channels on political opinion, Arafat (2013) found that political leaders, parties, and Biradrism are more powerful factors in forming political opinions as compared be different based on the difference in demographic characteristics. Based on several studies and research it is clear that there is a pattern of media bias in media. However, there seems to be some disagreement as to whether media bias does in fact influence voter perceptions and political outcomes.

The general elections certainly need more investigation, especially in analyzing the media coverage and its effects on voters. It can be concluded that media outlets tend to favour one side of the political spectrum in their news coverage. Qayyum, Gilani, Latif, & Qadir (2018) stated that Media outlets and political campaigners recognize social media as a means for widely disseminating news and opinions. In particular, Twitter is used by political groups all over the world to spread political messages, engage their supporters, drive election campaigns, and challenge their critics. Further, news agencies, many of which aim to give an impression of balance, are often of a particular political persuasion which is reflected in the content they produce. Driven by the potential for political and media organizations to influence public opinion, our aim is to quantify the nature of political discourse by these organizations through their use of social media. In this study, we analyze the sentiments, toxicity, and bias exhibited by the most prominent Pakistani and Indian political parties and media houses, and the pattern by which these political parties utilize Twitter. We found that media bias and toxicity exist in the political discourse of these two developing nations.

Methodology

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the role of media biasedness in politics. For this study, a quantitative research method design was employed to get an authentic and clear picture of the situation. In order to observe the respondents' perceptions regarding the role of media biasedness in the coverage of political affairs, a survey technique was applied to gather data from the respondents. Quantitative research aims to collect the existing facts, as this research aimed to investigate the prevailing existing facts therefore quantitative methodology was suitable for these investigations. The survey method is best to be employed when a large number of data is needed from a large number of respondents, so in this study, this tool is employed for data collection. Generally, in the survey method questionnaire based on objective type questions and close-ended questions under numerical rating items were used as it was easy to analyze this kind of data. Research Questions for this study are  Q1: How do people perceive media biasedness towards politics? RQ2: How do people perceive the influence of media on public voting behaviour? RQ3: What will be the practical recommendations for the media outlets and general public, on bringing improvement in fair conduction of the electoral process?

The responses of the participants were tabulated and analyzed through the SPSS application for drawing accurate results of the analysis. The analysis was tabulated for clarity and easy understanding. The responses of the participant students were presented on a liker scale based on 5 options.

Table 1. Do you consider the media's role in today’s politics?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	80%	6%	3%	2%	0%

 


Among the respondents, 320 (80%) out of a total of 400 student participants choose option- 5 (Too much), 6 (24%) student participants opted for option -4 (Frequently). 3 students out of a total of 400 selected option -3(sometimes) and 2 student respondents choose option 2 (rarely). From the above analysis, it was found that most of the student participants consider the media's role in today’s politics

Table 2. Do you watch political news on TV?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	75%	15%	5%	5%	0%

 




Of 400 student participants 300(75%) students choose option 5(Too Much), while 60(15%) students opted for option 4(Frequently). Similarly, 20(5%) students out of a total of 400 were favour option 3(sometimes), and 20 (5%) students choose option 2(Rarely). the above analysis revealed that most of the participant students watch political news on media.

Table 3. Do you think media influences your choice of voting for political parties?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	78%	10%	6%	7%	0%

 




While answering the above question, 312 (78%) student participants opted for option 5(Too much), and 40 (10%) student responses were in favour of option 4 (Frequently). Similarly, 24(6%) students opted for option 3(Sometimes), and 28(7%) students out of a total of 400 were choose option 2 (Rarely. The analysis indicated that the student participants perceive that media news influences student choices of voting for political parties.

Table 4. Do you think the media role is biased towards political news coverage?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	70%	15%	10%	5%	0%

 




280 (70%) student participants choose option 5 (Too Much), and 60 (15%) students opted option 4 (Frequently). Similarly, 40 (10%) students go for option 3 (sometimes) and only 20 (5%) students opted option 2 (Rarely). the above data analysis proved that majority of the participants believe that journalists and anchors present news devoid of their expertise and do compromise on their skills.

Table 5. Do you perceive the anchors and journalists compromise on their expertise while discussing political issues?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	70%	15%	10%	5%	0%

 


280 (70%) student participants choose option 5 (Too Much), and 60 (15%) students opted option 4 (Frequently). Similarly, 40 (10%) students go for option 3 (sometimes) and only 20 (5%) students opted option 2 (Rarely). the above data analysis proved that majority of the participants believe that journalists and anchors present news devoid of their expertise and do compromise on their skills

Table 6. Do you think that electronic media's role is more active than print media in politics?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	80%	10%	7%	3%	0%

 




About 320 (80%) students were in favour of option 5(Too Much), and 40(10%) participants selected option 4 (Frequently). Similarly, 28 (7%) students opted for option 3 (Sometimes) and only 12 (3%) students were in favour of option 2 (Rarely). These findings exposed that the digital media role is perceived as more active than print media in politics.

Table 7. Do you perceive the freedom of media is misused by the media outlets?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	70%	16%	8%	6%	0%

 




The majority of participants 280 (70%) students choose option 5 (Too Much) while 64(16%) students opted for option 4(frequently). Similarly, 32 (8%) students were in favour of option 3 (Sometimes) and only 24 (6%) students opted for option 2(Rarely). The responses of the participants revealed that it is perceived that the freedom of media is misused by the media sources.

Table 8. Do you consider the impacts of media on public voting behaviour?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	85%	10%	3%	2%	0%

 




Among 400 student participants 340(85%) students were in favor of option 5(Too much), and 40 students(10%) opted option 4(Frequently). Similarly 12(35) students choose option 3(Sometimes) and only 8(2%) students go for option 2(rarely). From the above analysis, it is revealed that the majority of the students consider the impacts of media on public voting behaviour.

Table 9. Do you agree with the statement that in today's world, media control the minds of a nation?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	90%	5%	5%	0%	0%

 




While analyzing the above data, it was revealed that a total of 360(90%) students out of 400 showed angriness with the statement that media control the minds of a nation as they opted for option 5(Too Much). Similarly, 20 (5%) students agree with option 4(Frequently). The rest of the student participants choose option 3(Sometimes). All the above responses reveal that to a great extent the participants consider the powerful role of media in controlling nations’ minds.

Table 10. Do you perceive that the media present political news while considering personal interests?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	73%	15%	10%	2%	0%

 




292 (73%) of a total of 400 student participants opted for option 5 (Too much). Similarly 60 (15%) students choose to select option 4(Frequently. 40 (10%) students opted for option 3(Sometimes) while only 8 (2%) students were in favour of option 2 (Rarely).the majority of responses revealed that the media present political news while considering personal benefits.

Table 11. Do you consider the power of media in controlling of political achievements of political nominees?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	90%	5%	5%	0%	0%

 




About 360(90%) student participants opted for option 5(too much), while 20(5%) students choose option 4(Frequently) and 20(5%) Students agree with option 3(Sometimes). All the above-mentioned analyses revealed facts that the majority of responses show were in favour of option 5(Too much) proving the significant role of media in the political achievements of the political nominees.

Table 12. Do you believe that the media news promoting political propaganda may create conflicts among the rival political parties?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	90%	5%	5%	0%	0%

 




Most of the respondents 360(90%) choose option 5(Too Much), and 20(5%) students were in favour of option 4(Frequently). Similarly, 20(5%) students opted for option 3(sometimes).all the above analysis revealed that majority of responses were in favour of option 5(Too Much ) as they believe that the media news promoting of political propaganda may create conflicts among political bodies.

Table 13. Do you believe that media biasedness in coverage of political activities can lead the nation to the wrong decision of voting for political bodies?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	85%	7%	7%	1%	0%

 




340 (85%) student participants out of a total of 400 selected option 5(Too Much), while 28 (7%) students opted for option 4(Frequently). Similarly, 28(7%) students choose option 3(Sometimes) and only 4(1%) students choose option 2 (Rarely). Majority of responses revealed favour for option 5(Too Much). As most of them believed that media biasedness in news may affect badly the voters' behaviour towards voting for the sincere political nominees.

Table 14. Do you perceive that media news promotes baseless propaganda and mostly creates harshness in public against the rival political parties?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	65%	12%	18%	5%	0%

 




260 (65%) students out of a total of 400 agree with option 5(Too much), while 12 (48%) student participants opted for option 4(Frequently). Similarly, 18(72%) students choose option 3 (Sometimes) and 20(5%) students selected option 2(Rarely). The majority views of participants revealed that media news promotes baseless propaganda and creates harshness in public against rival political parties.

Table 15. Do you believe, that there is a need for honesty and fairness in the use of media for attracting the public to vote for the political bodies?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	100%	0%	0%	0%	0%

 




400(100%) student participants were opted for option 5(Too much) revealing that there is a strong need for honest fair use of media for attracting the public to vote for the right political bodies.

Table 16. Do you believe that the fair and honest news transmission of political affairs is important for the developmental progress of a democratic country?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	100%	0%	0%	0%	0%

 




While answering the above question 400(100%) students choose option 5(Too Much), which indicated the importance of fairness and honesty of media role in coverage of political activities while considering the developmental progress of a country.

Table 17. Do you perceive that the fair and honest news transmission of political affairs acts as a building block in a democratic society?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	90%	5%	5%	0%	0%

 




360 (90%) student participants were going for option 5(Too Much), while 20(5%) students opted for option 4(Frequently), Similarly, 20(5%) students choose the option 3(Sometimes). The above analysis exposed that the majority of student responses consider the fair and honest role of media as a building block of Democratic society.

Table 18. Do you agree that biased political news on media can lead the nation to destruction?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	90%	5%	5%	0%	0%

 




About 360(90%) student participants agree with option 5 (Too Much), similarly 20(5%) students opted for option 4 (Frequently), and 20 (5%) students choose option 3(Sometimes). the above analysis revealed that most of the students consider the biased role of media as a destructive force on the nation.

Table 19. Do you agree with the view that a government should implement a proper assessment system for analyzing biasedness in media news?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	86%	5%	4%	0%	0%

 




About 364(86%) student participants choose option 5(Too Much) to show they agreed with the statement that a government should implement a proper assessment system for analyzing biasedness in media news in order to provide accurate information to the public regarding politics. Similarly 20(5%) students opted for option 4(Frequently) and 20(5%) students were in favour of option 3(Sometimes).

Table 20. Do you consider the need for reforms in the media presentation of political news?

Participants Responses
Students	Too much	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never
400	90%	5%	5%	0%	0%

 


About 360(90%) student participants opted for option 5(Too Much). Similarly, 20(5%) students choose option 4(Frequently), the rest of the student participants about 20(5%) were in favour of option 3(Sometimes)The analysis revealed that the majority of the student responses consider the need of reforms in the presentation of media news

Findings and Conclusion

1. Regarding the statement that considering the media's role in today’s politics, Among the respondents 320 (80%) out of a total of 400 student participants choose option- 5 (Too much), 6 (24%) student participants opted for option -4 (Frequently). 3 students out of a total of 400 selected option -3(sometimes) and 2 student respondents choose option 2 (rarely). From the above analysis, it was found that most of the student participants consider the media's role in today’s politics.

2. Regarding the statement that watching political news on TV, the student responses revealed that from 400 student participants 300(75%) students choose option 5(Too Much), while 60(15%) students opted for option 4(Frequently). Similarly, 20(5%) students out of a total of 400 were in favour of option 3(sometimes), and 20 (5%) students choose option 2(Rarely). The above analysis revealed that most of the participant students watch political news on media.

3. Regarding the statement that ‘media influence on the public choice of voting to political parties, while answering this question, 312 (78%) student participants opted for option 5 (Too much), and 40 (10%) student responses were in favour of option 4 (Frequently). Similarly, 24 (6%) students opted for option 3 (Sometimes), and 28 (7%) students out of A total of 400 chose option 2 (Rarely. The analysis indicated that the student participants perceive that media news influences student choices of voting for political parties.

4. Regarding the statement that perceiving Media's role is biased towards politics.

5. The responses of participants revealed that among 400 participants 300(75%) opted for option 5(Too Much). While 48 (12%) students opted for option 4(Frequently). Similarly, 32 (8%) student participants choose option 3(Sometimes) and only 20(5%) students were in favour of option 2(Rarely). The majority of student responses revealed that the media's role is biased towards political news coverage.

6. While answering the question regarding perceiving that anchors and journalists do compromise on their expertise while discussing political issues, in response to this statement, about 280 (70%) student participants choose option 5 (Too Much), and 60 (15%) students opted for option 4 (Frequently), similarly, 40 (10%) students go for option 3 (sometimes) and only 20 (5%) students opted option 2 (Rarely). The above data analysis proved that majority of the participants believe that journalists and anchors present news devoid of their expertise and do compromise on their skills.

7. Regarding the statement that perceiving the digital media role is more active than print media in politics, about 320 (80%) students were in favour of option 5(Too Much), and 40(10%) participants selected option 4 (Frequently). Similarly 28 (7%) students opted for option 3 (Sometimes) and only 12 (3%) students were in favour of option 2 (Rarely). These findings exposed that the digital media role is perceived as more active than print media in politics.

8. Regarding the statement that perceiving the freedom of media is misused by the media outlets, the Majority of participants as 280 (70%) students choose option 5 (Too Much) while 64(16%) students opted for option 4(frequently), Similarly 32 (8%) students were in favour of option 3 (Sometimes) and only 24 (6%) students opted for option 2(Rarely). The responses of the participants revealed that it is perceived that the freedom of media is misused by the media sources.

9. Regarding the statement that considering the impacts of media on public voting behaviour, among 400 student participants 340(85%) students were in favour of option 5(Too much), and 40 students (10%) opted for option 4(Frequently). Similarly, 12(35) students choose option 3(Sometimes) and only 8(2%) students go for option 2(rarely). From the above analysis, it is revealed that the majority of the students consider the impacts of media on public voting behaviour.

10. Regarding the statement that in today's world media control the minds of a nation.

11. The analysis revealed that a total of 360(90%) students out of 400 showed angriness with the statement that media control the minds of a nation as they opted for option 5(Too Much). Similarly, 20 (5%) students agree with option 4(Frequently). The rest of the student participants choose option 3(Sometimes). All the above responses reveal that to a great extent the participants consider the powerful role of media in controlling nations’ minds.

12. Regarding the statement that perceiving the media present political news while considering personal interest, 292 (73%) of a total of 400 student participants opted for option 5 (Too much), similarly, 60 (15%) students choose to select option 4(Frequently. 40 (10%) students opted for option 3(Sometimes) while only 8 (2%) students were in favour of option 2 (Rarely).

13. Regarding the statement that media control political achievements, About 360(90%) student participants opted for option 5(too much), while 20(5%) students choose option 4(Frequently) and 20(5%) Students agree with option 3(Sometimes). All the above-mentioned analyses revealed facts that the majority of responses show favour with option 5(Too much) proving the significant role of media in the political achievements of the political nominees.

14. Regarding the statement that media increase conflicts among political bodies through the promotion of some political propaganda, Most of the respondents 360(90%) choose option 5(Too Much), and 20(5%) students were in favour of option 4(Frequently), Similarly 20(5%) students opted option 3(sometimes).all the above analysis revealed that majority of responses were in favour of option 5(Too Much ) as they believe that the media news promoting of political propaganda may create conflicts among political bodies.

15. Regarding the statement that perceiving media biasedness in media coverage of political activities can lead the nation to the wrong decision of voting for political bodies 340 (85%) student participants out of a total of 400 selected option 5(Too Much), while 28 (7%) students opted for option 4(Frequently). Similarly, 28(7%) students choose option 3(Sometimes) and only 4(1%) students choose option 2 (Rarely).

16. Regarding the statement that perceiving media news promotes baseless propaganda and mostly creates harshness in public against the rival political parties, 260 (65%) students out of a total of 400 agree with option 5(Too much), while 12 (48%) student participants opted for option 4(Frequently), Similarly 18(72%) students choose option 3 (Sometimes) and 20(5%) students selected option 2(Rarely).the majority views of participants revealed that media news promotes baseless propaganda and creates harshness in public against rival political parties.

17. Regarding perceiving that there is a need for honesty and fairness in the use of media for attracting the public to vote for the political bodies, 400 (100%) student participants opted for option 5 (Too much) revealing that there is a strong need for honest fair use of media for attracting the public to vote the right political bodies.

18. Regarding perceiving that the fair and honest news transmission of political affairs is important for the developmental progress of a democratic country while answering the above question 400(100%) students choose option 5(Too Much), indicating the importance of fairness and honesty of media role in coverage of political activities while considering developmental progress of a country.

19. Regarding perceiving that ‘fair and honest transmission of media can act as a building block of a democratic society, 360 (90%) student participants went for option 5(Too Much), while 20(5%) students opted for option 4(Frequently). Similarly, 20(5%) students choose option 3(Sometimes). The above analysis exposed that the majority of student responses consider the fair and honest role of media as a building block of Democratic society.

20. Regarding perceiving that biased political news on media can lead the nation to destruction, about 360(90%) student participants agree with option 5 (Too Much), similarly 20(5%) students opted for option 4 (Frequently), and 20 (5%) students choose option 3(Sometimes). The above analysis revealed that most of the students consider the biased role of media as a destructive force on the nation.

21. Regarding the statement that government should implement a proper assessment system for analyzing biasedness in media news, About 364(86%) student participants choose option 5(Too Much) to show they agreed with the statement that a government should implement a proper assessment system for analyzing biasedness in media news in order to provide accurate information to the public regarding politics. Similarly 20(5%) students opted for option 4(Frequently) and 20(5%) students were in favour of option 3(Sometimes).

22. Regarding the statement that needs reforms in media news presentation. About 360(90%) student participants opted for option 5(Too Much). Similarly, 20(5%) students choose option 4(Frequently), the rest of the student participants about 20(5%) were in favour of option 3(Sometimes)The analysis revealed that the majority of the student responses consider the need of reforms in the presentation of media news.

Discussion

The study investigates the perceptions of university students regarding the biasedness of media towards politics. In today’s world of advanced technology, people from everywhere around the world use to watch national or international news in order to get awareness about worldly affairs. Media role is now considered faster than any other way of spreading messages and awareness. Therefore, politicians from all around the world use it to convey the message or interact with the general public through media as it is a faster way to increase votes. While investigating the media biasedness towards politics majority of the students revealed that they use to watch political news on media, and greatly consider the role of media in influencing public voting behaviours, Student responses revealed that the anchors and journalists do compromise on their expertise skills and present news while considering their personal interest and favouritism, and that media misuse the freedom they hold. Similarly, the majority of students' views revealed that biased free media role based on fairness and honesty while their coverage of political news is very constructive and significant for a democratic society, and can lead the nation to prosperity and development.

Moreover, the analysis of responses revealed that media hold a powerful place in the public life and progress of a country. As most of the responses indicated that media is a building block of a democratic society. And that media should act as a biased free platform for the political ground of a country. The majority of participants considered the need for reforms in media news to prove the biasedness of media in today's political affairs.

Conclusion

This study found that the majority of the student participants perceived the role of media in coverage of political affairs are biased and dishonest. It is concluded that the medias role is considered powerful in shaping public voting behaviour, as revealed that the majority of the public watch political news on media and give it importance. It is concluded that digital media is more active nowadays as compared to print media. It was found that the journalists' and anchors' role is also not biased free towards talking about political parties and they do compromise on their expertise while discussing political issues. Moreover, the study concluded that for country development and prosperity the role of media is significant as perceived by the participants that media should act as a platform for political ground. From all the above conclusions it is exposed that the media role is a building block in developing a democratic society so there is a strong reform needed to purify the news presentation.

Recommendations

1. As media hold a big role in society’s development and people's awareness, therefore workers of Media outlets should present news fairly and honestly devoid of favouritism and should be based on justice.

2. In the present age, lots of channels compete with each other to gain more attention from the public therefore owners of media outlets should instruct their workers to keep balance while converging on political news and should avoid rivalry and personal dislikes for attaining public attention.

3. Assessment holds a vital role in balancing news and in avoiding rivalry with political parties so the media owners should regularly assess the work quality of their channels and other sources in order to provide authentic news based on reality and biased free towards politics.

4. The media workers should keep themselves away from involving in creating harshness and bias in public through news and political debates as it could cause terrorism and unfavourable situations in society.

5. The media should work as a platform for public awareness and should respect the feelings and beliefs of the public, be honest with the country and may provide accurate news about electoral processes for the well of a country.

6. The public should watch the news on different channels or sources in order to avoid any bias or misrepresentation of the political news of a particular channel or source.

7. It is recommended that future research focus on tonality and agenda bias, which may be in?uenced by diverse sources such as journalists’ ideology or journalistic routines in news selection processes.

Ethical Consideration

Ethical values appeared in this study due to the participation of humans. That the consent and privacy of the participants may be considered so it was ensured. Similarly, one of the ethical issues which emerged while investigating the facts was relevant methodology. Which has been chosen carefully on one hand and then reporting findings fairly and honestly on the other. Moreover, appropriate interpretation of data that meets general methodological standards, not on personal beliefs, was also an important practice of ethical research. The researcher asked for participants' cooperation while collecting data. Lastly, the researcher ensured the participants about the gathered data as confidential and anonymous.

Work plan

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate public perceptions about media biasedness towards politics. The study was a part of research work in BS Journalism.The study was carried out over a period of 20 days in 2021. Similarly quantitative research method was applied to gather data and for analyzing results.

References

• Ali, A., & Rahman, S. I. (2019). Media Bias Effects on Voters in Pakistan. Global Regional Review 4(4), 557- 67.
• Baum, M. A., & Gussin, P. (2005). Issue Bias: How Issue Coverage and Media Bias Affect. University of California, 42.
• Bernhardt, D., Krasa, S., & Polborn, M. K. (2006). Political Polarization and the Electoral Effects of Media Bias. SSRN Electronic Journal, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.892475.
• Bernhardt, D., Krasa, S., & Polborn, M. K. (2006). Political Polarization and the Electoral Effects of Media Bias. SSRN Electronic Journal, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.892475.
• Bilal, H. A., Rafaqat, U., Hassan, N., Mansoor, H., & Zahra, Q. (2012). Editorials of Pakistani English Print Media: Application of CDA. International Journal of Linguistics 4(3), 744- 54.
• Brandenburg, H. (2005). Political Bias in the Irish Media: A Quantitative Study of Campaign Coverage during the 2002 General Election. Irish Political Studies, 20(3), 297- 322. https://doi.org/10.1080/07907180500359 350.
• Brandenburg, H. (2005). Political Bias in the Irish Media: A Quantitative Study of Campaign Coverage during the 2002 General Election. Irish Political Studies, 20(3), 297- 322. https://doi.org/10.1080/07907180500359 350.
• Chandrappa, D. K. (2014). The Influence of the Media in Politics - Campaigns and Elections. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 3(12), 2310-2312.
• Check, J. & Schutt, R. K. (2012). Research Methods in Education. Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage.
• Chiang, C. F., & Knight, B. (2011). Media Bias and Influence: Evidence from Newspaper Endorsements. The Review of Economic Studies, 78(3), 795-820. https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdq037
• Craig, G. (2004). The Media, Politics and Public Life. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen and Unwin.
• D'Alessio, D., & Allen, M. (2000). Media Bias in Presidential Elections: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Communication, 50(4), 133- 156. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460- 2466.2000.tb02866.x.
• D'Alessio, D., & Allen, M. (2000). Media Bias in Presidential Elections: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Communication, 50(4), 133- 156. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460- 2466.2000.tb02866.x.
• DellaVigna, S., & Kaplan, E. (2008). The Political Impact of Media Bias. Information and Public Choice, pp. 79-
• Dobrzynska, A. (2003). Do the Media Have a Direct Impact on the Vote? The Case of the 1997 Canadian Election. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 15(1), 27-43. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/15.1.27.
• Dobrzynska, A. (2003). Do the Media Have a Direct Impact on the Vote? The Case of the 1997 Canadian Election. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 15(1), 27-43. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/15.1.27.
• Druckman, J. N. ( 2005). Media Matter: How Newspapers and Television News Cover Campaigns andInfluence Voters. Political Communication 22(4), 463-81.
• Druckman, J. N. ( 2005). Media Matter: How Newspapers and Television News Cover Campaigns andInfluence Voters. Political Communication 22(4), 463-81.
• Druckman, J. N., & Parkin, M. (2005). The Impact of Media Bias: How Editorial Slant Affects Voters. The Journal of Politics, 67(4), 1030-1049. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468- 2508.2005.00349.x.
• Gerber, A. S., Karlan, D., & Bergan, D. (2009). Does the Media Matter? A Field Experiment Measuring the Effect of Newspapers on Voting Behavior and Political Opinions. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 1(2), 35-52. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.1.2.350 .
• Gurevitch, M., Coleman, S., & Blumler, J. G. (2009). Political Communication - Old and New Media Relationships. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 625(1), 164-181. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027162093393 45.
• Jan, M., Raza, M. R., Siddiq, M., & Saleem, N. (2013). Print Media on Coverage of Political Parties in Pakistan: Treatment of Opinion Pages of the 'DAWN' AND 'NEWS'. Gomal University Journal of Research,
• Javaid, U., & Elahi, U. (2014). Patterns of Political Perceptions, Attitudes and Voting Behaviour: Influence of Media. South Asian Studies, 29(2), 363-378.
• Kaya, B. & Degirmenci, N. (2019). Politics, Media and Power: Relationships within the Frameworks of Political Memory. Styles of Communication,10(2), 9-27.
• Kuyper, J. A. (2002). Press Bias and Politics: How media frame controversial issues. Westport: Praeger Publishers.
• Lengauer, G., & Johann, D. (2013). Candidate and party bias in the news and its effects on party choice: Evidence from Austria. Studies in Communication Sciences, 13(1), 41-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scoms.2013.04.0 11.
• Maras, S. (2012). Objectivity in Journalism. Polity Press.
• McCombs, M. (2005). A Look at Agenda-setting: past, present and future. Journalism Studies, 6(4), 543-557. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616700500250 438.
• Mezzera, M., & Sial, S. (2010). Media and Governance in Pakistan: A Controversial Yet Essential Relationship.
• Qadeer, A., Shehzad, W., Chishti, M. I. (2017). Print Media Practices in the Representation of Political Discourse in Pakistan. Journal of Critical Inquiry. 15(II), 186-202.
• Rahman, B. H., & Eijaz A. (2014). Pakistani Media as an Agent of Conflict or ConflictResolution: A Case of Lal Masjid in Urdu and English Dailies. Pakistan Vision 15(2), 238-64.
• Rehmat, A. (2018, July 11). How pressuring the Media is Risking the Quality of our Democracy. DAWN.
• Rexha, G. (2014). The role of media in political communication: the case of Kosovo. 2014 UBT International Conference, 53-57. https://doi.org/10.33107/ubt-ic.2014.30
• Safdar, G., Shabir, G., Imran, M., & Ghaznavi, Q.- u.-D. Z. (2015). The Role of Media in Increasing Turn out in Election 2013: A Survey Study of Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 35(1), 411-424
• Schudson, M. (2001). The objectivity norm in American journalism*. Journalism, 2(2), 149-170. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849010020 0201.
• Seaman, J. (2012). The Role of Media in Pakistan. Journal of South Asian and MiddleEastern Studies, 35(4)
• Shah, H. (2010). The Tongue-Tied Press of Pakistan: Comparing English and Urdu Newspapers. South Asia Monitor (148)
• Singelton, R., & Straits, B.C. (2010). Approaches to Social research. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Siraj, S. A. (2009). Critical Analysis of Press Freedom in Pakistan. Journal Media and Communication Studies 1(3), 43-47.
• Smidt, C. D. (2007). The Spinning Message: Agenda Dynamics in the 2000 Presidential Campaign. Midwestern Political Science Association, 1-41.
• Strömberg, D. (2015). Media and Politics. Annual Review of Economics, 173-205.
• Su, Y., & Borah, A. (2019). Who Is the Agenda Setter? Examining the Intermedia Agenda- Setting Effect between Twitter and Newspapers. Journal ofInformation Technology and Politics 16(3), 236-49
• Ullah, S, et al. (2020).
• Yavuz, G. (2012). The Impact of Media Exposure on Vote Choice: The Case of Turkey . American Journal of Political Science, 22.
• Zia, A., & Hajrah S. (2015). Use of Print Media for Conflict Esolution and Peace Building: A Case Study of Kashmir Dispute. NDU Journal, 161-80.