Experts and the Operational Bias of Television News: The Case of the Persian Gulf War

<jats:p> This study analyzes the way in which television news organizations select and use expert sources to interpret the news. In this case study of the Persian Gulf War, news organizations chose expert sources that reflected both journalists' professional ideology and their understanding of expertise. Experts are selected according to how well their specialized knowledge conforms with what can be termed television's “operational bias,” or an emphasis on players, policies, and predictions of what will happen next. These processes undermine the ideals of balance and objectivity, and severely limit how news is framed. </jats:p>