Tom Rosenstiel Proposes Reframing News to Combat Perceived Bias

Tom Rosenstiel, a founding director of the Pew Research Center, argues that the crisis of perceived bias in journalism is caused by a disconnect between professional journalistic ideology and the values of the general public. While journalists believe they are practicing objectivity by prioritizing transparency, monitoring power, and highlighting societal problems, Rosenstiel suggests they operate under a professional ideology they often fail to recognize.

Research conducted by the University of Chicago, the Associated Press, and the American Press Institute found that only 20% of Americans fully support these core journalistic values. This gap leads audiences across the political spectrum to perceive a partisan slant in news coverage, with roughly 7 in 10 Americans believing press coverage is biased.

To bridge this divide, researchers tested reframing news stories to align with diverse reader values—such as loyalty, authority, and the celebration of societal successes—without altering the underlying facts. The results indicated that all audiences found these reframed stories more credible than those using traditional journalistic framing. Rosenstiel concludes that journalists must recognize the inherent political values in their professional approach to improve their effectiveness and better serve democracy.