Media Bias

Media Bias

How to find Bias in news articles

Key words for bias:

Bias: A judgment based on a personal point of view.

Claim: A statement put forth as true in an argument or on an issue.

Exaggeration: An overstatement or stretching of the truth.

Reason: A general statement that offers support for a claim.

Evidence: Facts, statistics, and examples used to support reasons.

Example 2

Headline: "Trump's tax story bind: Admit business failures or lying on taxes."

Poll

Do you see any bias in Example #2?

• YES!

• NO!

• WHAT?!

Example 2

Headline: "Trump's tax story bind: Admit business failures or lying on taxes."

Example 4

"Trump and Biden meet tonight in Cleveland for their first of three debates -- a socially distanced affair in which the candidates won't shake hands. Fox News host Chris Wallace is the moderator."

Poll

Do you see bias in Example 4?

• Yes! Absolutely!

• No! Absolutely Not!

Example 4

"Trump and Biden meet tonight in Cleveland for their first of three debates -- a socially distanced affair in which the candidates won't shake hands. Fox News host Chris Wallace is the moderator."

Example 5

"Donald Trump could face the most direct challenge of his presidency to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the economy and his personal conduct in his first debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday."

Poll

Which candidate is example 5 biased AGAINST?

• Donald Trump

• Joe Biden

• No One

Example 5

"Donald Trump could face the most direct challenge of his presidency to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the economy and his personal conduct in his first debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday."

Example 6

"Can the Democrat candidate survive 90 minutes of an unscripted, fast-paced presidential debate without claiming to have been in the Senate for 180 years or putting the COVID-19 death toll at 200 million Americans, goofs he has made in recent days? Can he endure the challenges sure to come from President Trump without wandering off into the ether?"

Poll

Example 6 is biased against one of the candidates. Which one?

• Donald Trump

• Joe Biden

Example 6

"Can the Democrat candidate survive 90 minutes of an unscripted, fast-paced presidential debate without claiming to have been in the Senate for 180 years or putting the COVID-19 death toll at 200 million Americans, goofs he has made in recent days? Can he endure the challenges sure to come from President Trump without wandering off into the ether?"

Example 7

Headline from news website:

Multiple Select

Who is this headlined biased towards?

• Trump

• Biden

• No one

Example 7

Favors Trump by points out that Biden "failed" while emphasizing the importance of Police in the picture.

Example 8

Headline from News website:

Poll

Who is this headlined biased against?

• Biden

• Trump

• No one

Example 8

Clearly against Trump (more than Biden)