O b j e c t i v Bias in the Media Subjective What you need to know…

What is bias? Bias: giving an unbalanced portrayal of a situation or idea; prejudice Example: a reporter may insert opinions into an article in order to persuade readers to believe a certain way

How does the media exhibit bias? Using misleading definitions and terminology Giving only one side of an argument (imbalanced reporting) Inserting opinions disguised as news Taking a situation out of context

Selectively omitting details which do not favor that reporter’s perspective Using true facts in order to draw false conclusions Distorting facts to better fit a certain perspective

Why is it important to know this? You need to know how to analyze what you are reading and seeing in order to decide whether or not it is the truth. Does the person making the claim or giving the information have an ulterior motive? Is the author a reliable source?

Is the author giving you all the information you need in order to make an informed decision? Does the author’s argument give supporting evidence from reliable sources?

Objective vs. Subjective Objective means: Remaining neutral; unbiased; unprejudiced; not taking a decided stand on a particular issue The environmental group staged a protest. Subjective means: Prejudiced; biased; one-sided The extremist environmental group staged an unlawful, violent protest.

Why would a news reporter write a biased article? Many news agencies identify themselves with certain political parties and affiliations Political agendas

Examine the following sentences. More than 900 people attended the event. Fewer than 1,000 people attended the event. How do each of these phrases influence our perception? Diction (word choice) is extremely important!

Resources Media Awareness. Toronto, Canada. 2009 <www.media-awareness.com>. “Bias.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. <www.merriam-webster.com>.