The students in Ms. Kahn’s class are talking about frivolous news stories and biased reporting in contemporary news media. Aliyah brings up an article by Michael Massing, a reporter who wrote about bias in the U.S. media’s stories about Mexico.

“He said that U.S. reporters focus on violent Mexican drug gangs,” says Aliyah. “They ignore important stories about poverty and corruption. Instead, they exploit violent events like shootings and murders. They want to tell stories that are dramatic rather than fact-filled, and that are attention-grabbing rather than important.”

“Is Michael Massing right?” asks Ms. Kahn. “Does U.S. news coverage of Mexico focus on drugs and drug violence and abandon other topics? What kind of evidence could you find to help answer this question?”

Do the data support Mr. Massing’s argument? What other data would you want to collect before concluding that Mr. Massing’s argument has sufficient evidence to support his claim? Explain.

Discussion Question:

Reflect on things you may have read or heard recently about Mexico. Do you think Mr. Massing would see bias in the U.S. media’s stories about Mexico today? Explain.