Is News Media Biased?
Lesson 6:2
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...the public certainly sees it that way. Look at these numbers from a 2014 report from the Pew Research Center, the last time they published a major report on political polarization and media habits.
74% say news organizations tend to favor one side in dealing with political and social issues
50% believe the media has a liberal slant
22% believe the media has a conservative slant
Can you imagine what these numbers might look like now?
Compared to the last time the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press Questioned specifically about partisan bias, Americans reported they see a specific slant.
Clearly, the bias question is pretty complicated.
We will think of Bias through these three questions:
We will think of Bias through these three questions:
How do we know if a news report is fair?
How do we know if a news outlet is biased?
What’s the difference between news media bias and audience bias?
So, in the context of the news, what is fairness?
In the News Literacy course, we use the three little pigs (a lesson we got from an elementary school educator at a past institute) to help teach fairness.
You know the story... but do you REALLY know the story?
The story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf is a fairy tale that, as all fairy tales do, has bigger meanings.
But, what was missing from the original story about the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs? …The wolf’s side of the story.
Take a look at this award-winning advertisement that presents a contemporary telling of the story:
Three Little Pigs ad - The Guardian.mp4
Is there a serious lesson we can learn from re-telling of the fairy tale? Isn’t it fair to hear from both sides, wolves and pigs?
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