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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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?

6. 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?

7. 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.

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

9. 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!

10. Resources Media Awareness. Toronto, Canada. 2009
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“Bias.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
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