TO RECOGNIZE HOW BIAS MAY OCCUR IN NEWS REPORTING Bias In The News

What is the goal of a reporter or a newspaper? 1. to provide readers with objective, unbiased, and reliable information 2. To convey information fairly therefore allowing the facts to speak for themselves. NOTE: Journalists know that the choice of a word of phrase can determine the context of an entire news story. Many times bias occurs unconsciously

Consider the following sentences a) More than 900 people attended the event b) Fewer than 1000 people showed up at the event Both sentences are accurate in terms of the attendance at the event. The first sentence implies that the event was successful, with more people than expected in attendance. The second sentence implies that fewer people than expected showed up. Neutral: About 950 people attended the event

Take a break....watch a video ature=related

Mr. D’s Challenge Step 1: divide into groups of 3 or 4 Step 2: using 1 newspaper per group cut out articles that you think contain value judgements. Step 3: Highlight the word(s) and / or sentence(s) that you think introduce a bias to the story.

Questions to consider Why do you think the words convey a value judgement? 2. Are these words or phrases found in a news story, a column, an editorial or a review? Why is this significant? NOTE: Be prepared to discuss your findings to the class

The bias scavenger hunt You each have 1 week to find an article for each of the techniques listed in the handout How to detect bias in the news