Media Bias

The media serves as GATEKEEPERS.

That is, among the hundreds of important news stories which occur each day, they have to

select a sample of them to show their viewers and decide how much coverage in terms of time

to devote.

This in-and-of-itself is not nefarious bias.

However, it is a process which can open up the media to opportunities to try to pass along

certain liberal/conservative views.

Media Bias

Things to look for . . . Visual Evidence of Bias

Bias through selection and omission

Bias through placement

Bias by headline

Bias through a lack of context

Bias through use of stereotypes

Bias by word choice and tone

Bias by photo, captains and camera angle

Bias through use of names and titles

Bias through statistics and crowd counts

Bias through source control

Do headlines and stories match?

Subtle Evidence of Bias

▪ Donations by reporters to political ideology

▪ Donations by parent company (which owns media outlet) to political ideology.

Tools for measuring and evaluating media bias

Richard Alan Nelson's study on Tracking Propaganda to the Source: Tools for Analyzing Media Bias (2004)

reports there are at least 12 methods used to analyze the existence of and quantify bias:

1. Surveys of the political/cultural attitudes of journalists, particularly members

of the media elite, and of journalism students.

2. Studies of journalists' previous professional connections.

3. Collections of quotations in which prominent journalists reveal their beliefs

about politics and/or the proper role of their profession.

4. Computer word-use and topic analysis searches to determine content and

labeling.

5. Studies of policies recommended in news stories.

6. Comparisons of the agenda of the news and entertainment media with agendas

of political candidates or other activists.

7. Positive/negative coverage analysis.

8. Reviews of the personal demographics of media decision makers.

9. Comparisons of advertising sources/content which influence

information/entertainment content.

10. Analyses of the extent of government propaganda and public relations (PR)

industry impact on media.

11. Studies of the use of experts and spokespersons etc. by media vs. those not

selected to determine the interest groups and ideologies represented vs. those

excluded.

12. Research into payments of journalists by corporations and trade associations

to speak before their groups and the impact that may have on coverage.

How to identify fake news sites

First, know the different types of misleading and false news

1. Fake news

These are the easiest to debunk and often come from known sham sites that are designed to look like real

news outlets. They may include misleading photographs and headlines that, at first read, sound like they

could be real.

2. Misleading news

These are the hardest to debunk, because they often contain a kernel of truth: A fact, event or quote that has

been taken out of context. Look for sensational headlines that aren't supported by the information in the

article.

3. Highly partisan news

A type of misleading news, this may be an interpretation of a real news event where the facts are

manipulated to fit an agenda.

4. Clickbait

The shocking or teasing headlines of these stories trick you into clicking for more information -- which may

or may not live up to what was promised.

5. Satire

This one is tough, because satire doesn't pretend to be real and serves a purpose as commentary or

entertainment. But if people are not familiar with a satire site, they can share the news as if it is legitimate.

Second, hone your fact-checking skills

For starters, here are 10 questions you should ask if something looks fake:

A. Does the story come from a strange url?

B. Does the headline match the information in the article?

C. Is it a recent story, or an old one that has been re-purposed?

D. Are the supporting videos or photos verifiable?

E. Does the article cite primary sources?

F. Does the story feature quotes, and are they tracible?

G. Is it the only outlet reporting the story?

H. Is your own bias getting in the way? (consider ‘confirmation bias’)

I. Has it been debunked by a reputable fact-checking organization?

This study found evidence that conservatives were more likely to perceive media bias than liberals, but that both

conservatives and liberals detected bias in media outlets that leaned against their political perspectives.

Fake News Sites (Designed to be deceptive)

Generalized Political Leanings, c.January 2017

Far Left

(advocating for liberal position with minimal weak counterpoints; borders on propaganda)

MSNBC

Larry King

Left-of-Center

(focus on liberal position, with weak counterpoints and limited advocating of that position)

CNN with Don Lemon

ABC World News Tonight

NBC Nightly News

CBS

NPR National Public Radio

New York Times

Center / Moderate

(reasonable balance between the both ideologies most of the time on most topics)

CNN with Anderson Cooper

PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer

PBS Washington Week

ABC Good Morning America

Right-of-Center

(focus on conservative position, with weak counterpoints and limited advocating of that position)

Fox Special Report with Brit Hume

Drudge Report

Newsweek Magazine

Wall Street Journal

Christian Science Monitor

Washington Times

New York Post

Washington Post

Far Right

(advocating for conservative position with minimal weak counterpoints; borders on propaganda)

Fox News with Bill O’Reilly

Fox News with Glenn Beck

American Spectator

Weekly Standard

Breitbart News

Donations by employees to political parties… (c.2010)

Are forbidden at: Are allowed at: No formal policy:

ABC Fox News Washington Post

CBS Forbes Magazine Boston Globe

CNN Time Washington Times

NPR New Yorker USA Today

Newsweek Reuter

New York Times Bloomberg News

NBC & MSNBC Reuters

Atlantic US News and World Report

Dow Jones

Donations from certain companies

(some information needs to be further completed)

Results of a survey of Reuters reporting (2003)

Named subject

1. In violent acts against Israelis, the Palestinians agent is named in 33% of the headlines

2. In violent acts by the Palestinians, the Israeli agent is names in 100% of the headlines.

3. Moreover, Israel is always emphasized by appearing as the first word in the headline

Named object

1. In violent acts against Israeli, causalities are labeled “Israeli” in 11% of the headlines

2. In violent acts against Palestinians, casualties are labeled “Palestinian” or “Hamas” in 50% of the headlines.

If “Militant” is considered as a Palestinian-specific team, the figure raises to 71% of the headlines

Verb Selection

1. Violent acts by Palestinians are described with “active voice” verbs in 33% of the headlines.

2. Violent acts by Israelis are described with “active voice” verbs in 100% of the headlines

“Israeli Troops Shoot Dead Palestinian in West Bank”

“Israeli Tank Kills 3 Militants in Gaza – Witnesses”

“

“New West Bank Shooting Mars Truce”

“Bus Blows Up in Central Jerusalem”

To describe diplomatic events, Reuters consistently grants Palestinian statements neutral or pleading language, while

Israeli positions are described in uncompromising, aggressive terms.

“Palestinian Islamic Militants Declare Truce”

“Israel Pours Scorn on Cease-Fire with Militants”

“Palestinians Urge Israel to Free Prisoners”

“Israel Sets Tough Terms for Prisoner Release”

Possible Headlines (which is real?)

A. “Israeli police shoot man in east Jerusalem”

B. “Car slams into east Jerusalem train station”

C. “Palestinian kills baby at Jerusalem station”

Israeli named as perpetrator; Palestinian

named as victim; Described in active voice.

Palestinian not named as perpetrator; Israeli

not named as victim; Shooting described in

passive voice

A Real Press Report:

JERUSALEM (AP) – A Palestinian motorist with a

history of anti-Israeli violence slammed his car into a

crowded train station in Jerusalem on Wednesday,

killing a three-month old baby girl and wounding eight

people in what police called a terror attack.

The incident came after months of tensions between

Jews and Palestinians in east Jerusalem – the section of

the city claimed by the Palestinians as their future

capital. The area has experienced unrest and near-

daily attacks on the city’s light rail by Palestinian

youths since a wave of violence over the summer,

capped by a 50-day war between Israel and Hamas

militants in Gaza

Palestinians are peaceful, while Israeli is

belligerent.

Media Bias / Selection of Headlines

However, the online version of the article (which was accompanied by a different headline) demonstrates the

print headline is especially misleading, as the article actually revolves around an announcement by Israel that

the army had begun staging “its first withdrawal” from Gaza, after the IDF had nearly reached its goal of

destroying Hamas’s terror tunnels.

The print headline was presumably based on a solitary passage in the over 800 word article in which the Israeli

Prime Minister reportedly vowed that continuing Hamas rocket fire would be met with further Israeli strikes:

the Israeli prime minister said “all options” remained on the table and threatened to make

Hamas “pay an intolerable price” if it continued firing rockets into Israel.

Of course, an accurate headline might have read:

Israel announces withdrawal from Gaza.

Comparative Evidence of Media Bias

13 May 2013

What does this suggest about how the

media networks determine what is

important?

How might the coverage of the

Benghazi hearings reflect the

liberal/conservative leanings of the

networks usual viewership?

24 November 2014

What in these two News outlet releases

suggest efforts to lead the viewers to

thinking one thing of the other?

At that point is ‘too much information’

serving to lead opinions?

How can these be re-worded to offer a

neutral press release?

To what extent – if at all – are these

biased headlines?

Media Bias

Media Bias / Covers

Original photo

Crop of the original photo Final cover image

(Photo by Larry Downing, Reuters)

Consider how each change to the original photo changes its atmospherics

These two magazines were released in the same week. Consider how the photos have been changed – in words, and mug shot lighting – and for what purpose

Media Bias

Consider how the selection of photos conveys emotion, and used to curry emotion, opinion and prejudices

Media Bias / use of mug-shots

March 2015 (both groups arrested on the same day) What is the impact of the selection of mugshot photos?

Media Bias

Think about what SUBTLE messages are being conveyed here…

Consider photos (angle, quality, etc)

Consider words choice on the cover

Consider the italicizing/size/color of certain words

Consider if inside-knowledge of the culture in which it is printed is revealing of the intended message

Media Bias

Think about what SUBTLE messages are being conveyed here…

Consider photos (angle, quality, etc)

Consider words choice on the cover

Consider the italicizing/size/color of certain words

Consider is inside-knowledge of the culture in which it is printed is revealing of the intended message

Media Bias

Think about what OVERT messages are being conveyed here… ARE THESE COVERS FEEDING A NARRITIVE ?

Consider photos (angle, quality, etc)

Consider words choice on the cover

Consider the italicizing/size/color of certain words

Consider is inside-knowledge of the culture in which it is printed is revealing of the intended message

What is controversial about these covers? Why? Why might some find the covers insulting while others accept it?

Media Bias

Think about what OVERT messages are being conveyed here… ARE THESE COVERS FEEDING A NARRITIVE ?

Consider photos (angle, quality, etc)

Consider words choice on the cover

Consider the italicizing/size/color of certain words

Consider is inside-knowledge of the culture in which it is printed is revealing of the intended message

What is controversial about these covers? Why? Why might some find the covers insulting while others accept it?

Media Bias

Think about what OVERT messages are being conveyed here… ARE THESE COVERS FEEDING A NARRITIVE ?

Consider photos (angle, quality, etc)

Consider words choice on the cover

Consider the italicizing/size/color of certain words

Consider is inside-knowledge of the culture in which it is printed is revealing of the intended message

What is controversial about these covers? Why? Why might some find the covers insulting while others accept it?

Media Bias

A pair of covers, each from the same week for the events they depict.

Media Bias

Think about what OVERT messages are being conveyed here… ARE THESE COVERS FEEDING A NARRITIVE ?

Consider photos (angle, quality, etc)

Consider words choice on the cover

Consider the italicizing/size/color of certain words

Consider is inside-knowledge of the culture in which it is printed is revealing of the intended message

What is controversial about these covers? Why? Why might some find the covers insulting while others accept it?

Media Bias

Think about what OVERT messages are being conveyed here… ARE THESE COVERS FEEDING A NARRITIVE ?

Consider photos (angle, quality, etc)

Consider words choice on the cover

Consider the italicizing/size/color of certain words

Consider is inside-knowledge of the culture in which it is printed is revealing of the intended message

What is controversial about these covers? Why? Why might some find the covers insulting while others accept it?

ARE THESE COVERS REFLECTING EVENTS OR SHAPING THEM?

Is the media selection of cover art (1) reflecting historical events, offering (2) social commentary, or (3) casting judgement?

Media Bias

Think about what OVERT messages are being conveyed here… ARE THESE COVERS FEEDING A NARRITIVE ?

Consider photos (angle, quality, etc)

Consider words choice on the cover

Consider the italicizing/size/color of certain words

Consider is inside-knowledge of the culture in which it is printed is revealing of the intended message

What is controversial about these covers? Why? Why might some find the covers insulting while others accept it?

ARE THESE COVERS REFLECTING EVENTS OR SHAPING THEM?

Is the media selection of cover art (1) reflecting historical events, offering (2) social commentary, or (3) casting judgement?

Media Bias

Fake Magazine Covers

How can we identify fake Magazine Covers or Fake New Sites?

Real cover Fake cover

Media Bias

Think about what OVERT messages are being conveyed here.

Magazine covers which could be interpreted as a call to action…it is ETHICAL?

January/February 2016 (United States) 18 October 2003 (England)

February 2017 (Ireland)

Media Bias

Magazine’s publish throughout the world, but they emphasize different covers and stories in each region.

How might the US-cover differ from the other regions of the world?

Media Bias

Magazine’s publish throughout the world, but they emphasize different covers and stories in each region.

How might the US-cover differ from the other regions of the world?

Media Bias Different covers for different regions. Here, it is clear that the magazine does not believe Americans want to

read about Afghanistan.

Media Bias / Online

Homs, Syria May 2014 Repurposed image claims to be of Gaza, August 2014

(Source: Business Insider, NYC) (Source: Online Post) http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-homs-throughout-the-syrian-war-2014-5 Dr.-Abu Rayan claims to be a physician in Gaza and the United States.

He also goes by the name Dr. Hussein Suleiman. Possibility he was

killed in 2013, but someone continues to use his Twitter feed today.

Original image Re-purposed image claims to be Israeli atrocities

Media Bias

“Russian bomb in Ukraine” “Ukrainian bomb in Russia” “Israeli bomb in Gaza”

Ukrainian TV, Russian TV and Al-Jazeera each report same picture as being from different conflicts;

The original photo was posted by Ukrainian soldier Andrew Zaharov on his facebook page, as it

predates all three above articles, and was accompanied by another angle of the photo and the clearly-

Ukrainian truck. It was taken near Dmitrivka, in the Donetsk Region. 2014

Consider how the cropping of images can change meaning of its’ events in the

viewers perspective.

Media Bias

A Fox TV affiliate in San Diego suffered a major broadcast blunder when it showed a picture of President

Obama instead of an image of a suspected rapist.

KSWB-TV, also known as Fox 5 San Diego, displayed a picture of Obama speaking at a microphone rather

than art of a suspect in a rape case in a report during its newscast on Friday night. The image, which

included a caption that read “no charges,” appeared on a screen behind anchor Kathleen Bade for about five

seconds. Bade's report discussed how the office of San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis’

has declined to prosecute a person of interest in a rape case, the Raw Story blog reported. The sexual assault

case involved students at San Diego State University.

The hour-long telecast did not follow up the mistake with a correction. But station officials noticed the slip-

up right away, Fox 5 San Diego assignment editor Mike Wille told the Times of San Diego.

Media Bias

The night the CVS Pharmacy in Baltimore was burned down in late-April 2015, Fox News of Memphis posted

this photo on their facebook affiliate feed. However, it was not the CVS which burned down. It was in fact not

even from Baltimore. It was from a 2014 riot in Venezuela.

HEADLINES MATTER

“[Ben] Carson plummets in Polls Amid Reports He Did Not Stab Anyone.”

New Yorker headline, November 2015

“Obama Calls Libyan President to Thank Him After US Ambassador Murdered.”

Fox Nation headline, 13 September 2012

Russian Ads on Facebook / Efforts to Influence the 2016 Presidential Election