Scribd
Upload
186 views2 pages

How To Detect Bias in The News

Despite journalistic ideal of "objectivity," every news story is influenced by attitudes and background of its interviewers, writers, photographers and editors. Not all bias is deliberate. You can become a more aware news reader or viewer by watching for the following journalistic techniques that allow bias to "creep in" to the news.

Uploaded by

api-316883637
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
186 views2 pages

How To Detect Bias in The News

Despite journalistic ideal of "objectivity," every news story is influenced by attitudes and background of its interviewers, writers, photographers and editors. Not all bias is deliberate. You can become a more aware news reader or viewer by watching for the following journalistic techniques that allow bias to "creep in" to the news.

Uploaded by

api-316883637
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

How to Detect Bias in the News / 2005 Media Awareness Network, Reprinted with

their permission.

At one time or other we all complain about "bias in the news." The fact is, despite
the journalistic ideal of "objectivity," every news story is influenced by the
attitudes and background of its interviewers, writers, photographers and editors.
Not all bias is deliberate. But you can become a more aware news reader or viewer
by watching for the following journalistic techniques that allow bias to "creep in"
to the news:
Bias through selection and omission
An editor can express a bias by choosing to use or not to use a specific news item.
Within a given story, some details can be ignored, and others included, to give
readers or viewers a different opinion about the events reported. If, during a
speech, a few people boo, the reaction can be described as "remarks greeted by
jeers" or they can be ignored as "a handful of dissidents."
Bias through omission is difficult to detect. Only by comparing news reports from
a wide variety of outlets can the form of bias be observed.
Bias through placement
Readers of papers judge first page stories to be more significant than those buried
in the back. Television and radio newscasts run the most important stories first and
leave the less significant for later. Where a story is placed, therefore, influences
what a reader or viewer thinks about its importance.
Bias by headline
Many people read only the headlines of a news item. Most people scan nearly all
the headlines in a newspaper. Headlines are the most-read part of a paper. They can
summarize as well as present carefully hidden bias and prejudices. They can
convey excitement where little exists. They can express approval or condemnation.
Bias by photos, captions and camera angles
Some pictures flatter a person, others make the person look unpleasant. A paper
can choose photos to influence opinion about, for example, a candidate for

election. On television, the choice of which visual images to display is extremely


important. The captions newspapers run below photos are also potential sources of
bias.
Bias through use of names and titles
News media often use labels and titles to describe people, places, and events. A
person can be called an "ex-con" or be referred to as someone who "served time
twenty years ago for a minor offense." Whether a person is described as a
"terrorist" or a "freedom fighter" is a clear indication of editorial bias.
Bias through statistics and crowd counts
To make a disaster seem more spectacular (and therefore worthy of reading about),
numbers can be inflated. "A hundred injured in aircrash" can be the same as "only
minor injuries in air crash," reflecting the opinion of the person doing the counting.
Bias by source control
To detect bias, always consider where the news item "comes from." Is the
information supplied by a reporter, an eyewitness, police or fire officials,
executives, or elected or appointed government officials? Each may have a
particular bias that is introduced into the story. Companies and public relations
directors supply news outlets with puffpieces through news releases, photos or
videos. Often news outlets depend on pseudo-events (demonstrations, sit-ins,
ribbon cuttings, speeches and ceremonies) that take place mainly to gain news
coverage.
Word choice and tone
Showing the same kind of bias that appears in headlines, the use of positive or
negative words or words with a particular connotation can strongly influence the
reader or viewer.

You might also like