Media Bias

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Media Bias

• Is Your News Fair and Balanced?

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What is bias?

• Bias
• Objectivity
• News
• Editorial

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What is bias?

• Bias prejudice, preference that prevents
  impartial judgment
• Objectivity not being influenced by personal
  preferences
• News report of recent events
• Editorial article that presents the opinion of
  an editor or publisher

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Is bias really real?

• In nearly half a century in the news business, I
  have never known a political writer, for example,
  who was 'indifferent' to the outcome of a
  presidential election. --Richard Harwood,
  The Washington Post
• You are not 'entitled' to a letter to the
  editor, to an op-ed piece or even to a paid
  advertisement if we don't like it, we don't
  print it. Richard Harwood

5
Is bias really real?

• We don't sit around in dark corners and plan
  strategies on how we're going to slant the news.
  We don't have to. It comes naturally to most
  reporters." Bernard Goldberg, CBS News
  correspondent

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Is bias really real?

• How would you characterize your political
  orientation?
• 22 Liberal39 Liberal to Moderate30
  Moderate7 Moderate to Conservative2
  Conservative

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Is bias really real?

• Did you vote for Bill Clinton, George Bush, Ross
  Perot, or some other candidate?
• 89 Bill Clinton7 George Bush2 Ross Perot
  2 Other

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How can I recognize bias?

• Sources
• Who is interviewed?
• Where do sources work and what do they do?
• Government sources will often speak in favor of
  government/politicians
• Diversity
• Are all the interviewers and sources alike?
• Is there only one different source or
  interviewer?
• Minorities and women often have different
  perspectives than males/whites.

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How can I recognize bias?

• Point-of-view
• Are the people whom the issue affects accurately
  involved in discussing it?
• Are politicians or business people discussing
  something that doesnt affect them?
• All-white, all-male groups are often interviewed
  about issues affecting minorities or women

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How can I recognize bias?

• Double standards and stereotypes
• Are people who commit crimes seen differently
  based on race or gender?
• Does the media play into racial or gender
  stereotypes?
• White collar criminals are often seen
  sympathetically, while teenaged criminals are
  often seen as a scourge

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How can I recognize bias?

• Unchallenged assumptions
• What is left out of the story?
• What factors are made more important?
• Coverage of criminal trials can often focus on
  details that dont affect the case
• Language
• Is the language loaded?
• Affirmative action (70) vs. racial preference
  programs (46)

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How can I recognize bias?

• Context
• Are all the facts given?
• What is the background of the story being
  reported?
• Coverage of increasing violent crime in an area
  sometimes leaves out an increase in poverty
• Headlines vs. stories
• Do they match?
• Thatcher Salute to Reagan Years contained the
  quote, Poor dear, theres nothing between his
  ears.

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How can I recognize bias?

• Placement and coverage
• Which stories are first on the news or in the
  paper?
• Which stories sit on the back page or are buried
  later in the news?
• How much time or space is devoted to each story?
• The Gentry paper ran a front page story on a
  goat-raising girl with coverage of the civil war
  in Serbia on the back page

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What can I do about bias?

• Do your research
• Use multiple sources
• Look for multiple points of view
• Check sources
• If you dont know the person interviewed, look
  them up
• Look for diversity in sources

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What can I do about bias?

• Pay attention to all the stories
• Sometimes important things are buried
• Sometimes two stories can be reported differently
  by different agenciesread them both
• Think, think, think
• Dont just assume what you read is correct
• Use common sense

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What can I do about bias?

• Protest
• Write a letter or an email
• Let others know about unfair media

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Ethical concerns

• Slander spoken untrue accusation that hurts
  someones character
• Libel written untrue accusation that hurts
  someones character, including pictures and
  anything not spoken