I used ChatGPT and asked it “in 250 to 300 words, explain how conservative news outlets report news differently than traditional news outlets.” For the most part, the response it gave me was pretty spot on. The AI was very technical in describing how outlets like Fox News report the news compared to how more traditional outlets like CNN report the news. It was sort of obvious that it was written by artifical intelligence, but surprised me by how accurate it was to other analyses of the right-wing echo chamber.
ChatGPT wrote in part, “the portrayal of certain political figures, policies, and events in a more favorable or unfavorable manner depending on their alignment with conservative principles.” In a rewrite of the generated response, I use a few examples of how conservative outlets use bias reinforcement on their audiences like putting people who are personal friends to Donald Trump on a news talk panel to discuss Trump’s latest headline.
Another example I recently saw was a Fox News anchor lying to their audience. When liberal pundit said Trump used antisemitic rhetoric, anchor Harris Faulkner says, “We have to get our facts right. I didn’t hear what you are talking about.” Minutes before that exchange, they watched Trump say, “Any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or Biden should have their head examined!” Faulkner is cynically lying to her audience by telling them Trump’s remark was not antisemitic, when he is clearly saying “If you’re not voting for Trump, you are not a real Jew.” That’s as antisemitic as it comes when someone says your faith depends on your political leaning. So I thought that part and most of what ChatGPT described as accurate.
Now while I agree with ChatGPT’s response, it was clearly written by a computer. You notice how there is no political leaning in the language it uses. It feels cold and unfeeling, while also being confident and deliberate. Like it knows all about how the right-wing mediasphere works, but is indifferent to it’s overall impact. I guess because of the phrasing I posed to it, it created a response that was succinct and unforgiving.
When it comes to trusting AI software, I still believe it is a frightening tool that we do not fully understand yet. If it can break down how conservative media operates in 250-300 words, then who knows what it can answer. It feels like it just needs the right question to create chaos.
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