Assignment

Bias in reporting by the media is all around us. This exercise will help you become more aware of media bias and the subtle ways the bias appears. To do this, you will compare the coverage of the same news event from three different news organizations.

Start with this chart: The Chart, Version 3.0: What, Exactly, Are We Reading?

Then select a specific recent news story. You want to choose a story that was so big that everyone covered it. Possible stories include the school shooting in Florida, the student walk out, The Oscars, State of the Union Address, Nunez report but there are many others possibilities. The more specific you can be the better. I suggest you select a story and a date. For example, you might select the day AFTER the Florida school shooting, February 15.

Using the chart above, select a news source from the middle "Neutral" category. Then select a news source from the two most liberal categories, "Hyper-Partisan Liberal" or "Most Extreme Liberal." Next select a source from the most conservative categories, "Hyper-Partisan Liberal" or "Most Extreme Liberal."

In your paper you will identify the story and the sources. You will compare and contrast the three reports. Look for where there are similarities, differences. What images were used with the report? What language, terms or phrases where used? Where the sources selective in reporting facts bases on their liberal/conservative position.

Finally in your paper, share what you learned about media bias and your own bias. How did you feel about the way the different organizations reported? Will this change the way you look at news in the future?