The Social Impact of the Overturning of Roe v Wade

The overturning of Roe v Wade created a worldwide debate and all media sources were at the center of it. Politicians were constantly being recorded as they voiced their opinions, and based on where it was posted, the video was flooded with comments of either complete agreement or disagreement. For many, including the interested listeners from other countries, their main source of information was provided through at least one of the four following media categories: national news on major TV networks, cable TV networks, print publications, and social media. Depending on where one may have decided to tune in could have largely impacted the views they formed, as not all of these sources provide the same information.

National TV networks such as ABC, NBC, and CBS provided accurate information of the events as they occurred through an unbiased standpoint. They showed videos of each perspective through different protests which allowed for the viewers to hear both sides of the pro-life and pro-choice debate. This portrayal of such a controversial political topic accurately defines the goals of a nation TV network. It shows that in the little time that they have to grasp the viewers attention, they will provide the information as is without bias or speculation while still making their content interesting and entertaining. This creates a balanced intake of information and makes national TV networks some of the best sources to be trusted.

Other TV networks do not provide the same level of accurate and unbiased information. For example, some cable networks, such as FOX News, provide data that is inaccurate and false in order to promote a specific side of the debate. With FOX News, they focused on the more conservative side, even going as far as to insert a quotation of someone claiming that “even abortion supporters have found it hard to support Roe’s reasoning”. By inserting a quote that targets a large majority of people yet having it be inaccurate to that large group creates a biased tone throughout a topic. With many stories, FOX news takes a conservative approach, meanwhile other cable networks, such as CNN, covers the opposite.

With print publications, it is easy to gather information on both sides of the debate. This is not to say that the information is unbiased, however, readers have an option. They can choose to click on an opinion piece, or an informative, unbiased article. These print publications can be liberal or conservative, but the reader has an option on what kind of story and side to research. So when researching the topic of Roe v Wade, readers had the option to read a pro-life or pro-choice story or even both. 

The easiest, and most accessible media source is social media. It attracts attention from a diverse audience. Young adults are not known for enjoying watching the news on TV or picking up a newspaper. Most teens get their news from social media apps such as Instagram, Twitter, or Tiktok. During the overturning of Roe v Wade, people on social media apps knew what was happening, even if it was against their will. With one video on Tiktok or a story repost on Instagram, many were influenced. Gen Z dominates the social media world, making the majority of content against Roe v Wade overturning. Through social media, it is likely that the majority of content would be biased due to people’s fear to speak their conservative ideals since so many people who do are virtually attacked or “canceled”.

With such diverse coverage in each media source, it can be difficult to settle on just one source or category to attain accurate and unbiased information. The resource pool continues to grow, especially with such a growing passion for politics in American culture. And with this large and diverse growth of sources that citizens can now obtain, there is a greater risk of misinformation, but also a chance of enlightenment within American citizens.