Part of the public’s perception of media bias, some say, does fall on the consumers themselves.

The Associated Press, for example, is considered as close to center as any news organization in the country, with its coverage informing newspaper readers from coast to coast and deep into the American heartland. The AP’s business model is to create news for other organizations. But it’s not up to them how their coverage is used. While the organization’s stories may sit squarely at the center of the ideological spectrum, people’s perception of The AP can be dictated largely by how that information is used by the outlets running their stories.

“We want every story to stand on its own,” said AP deputy managing editor for U.S. news Noreen Gillespie, who was also on the panel. “But when people discuss bias, it’s often focused around what is seen — and that might just be one slice of the whole.”

The scope of the media itself could be another factor. The advent of conservative- and liberal-focused news outlets have made it easier to insulate oneself with slanted pieces that agree with one’s worldview, Brown noted, making it much easier to write off something that does not jibe with that perspective as false.