A phenomenon referred to as the hostile media effect demonstrates that partisans can view neutral events subjectively according to their own needs and values , and make the assumption that those who interpret the event differently are biased . For a study in 1985 , pro-Israeli and pro-Arab students were asked to watch real news coverage on the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre , a massive killing of Palestinian refugees ( Vallone , Lee Ross and Lepper , 1985 ) . Researchers found that partisans from both sides perceived the coverage as being biased in favor of the opposite viewpoint , and believed that the people in charge of the news program held the ideological views of the opposite side
Sabra and Shatila massacre
Sabra and Shatila massacre
Naïve realism (psychology)