MEDIA BIAS

Source: Adobe Stock
Not all news sources are created equal. They may contain bias.

No one is free of all bias. No one is perfectly objective. So, every book, research paper, and article is bound to have some form of bias, including news articles and broadcasts.

Media bias is when news outlets employ a range of techniques to modify news stories in favour of particular interests or groups.

It is important to be aware of this bias and which news agencies are more likely to provide a more balanced and objective opinion.
  • What is media bias?
    Watch the following video to understand how media bias works.

    It uses the "fairness metre" which can detect three key factors that can determine how objective or biased a news story is.
    NewseumED.org. (n.d.). Is it fair? https://newseumed.org/is-it-fair
  • What are the different types of media bias?
    BIAS BY OMISSION
    For every news story that is selected, there are many others that are left out. Do the news stories you see show a balanced view of real life? What are the characteristics they have in common? (e.g., Are they mostly about violence, famous people, wealth?) Do some news sources include items that are ignored by others?
    Source: Adobe Stock
    BIAS BY EMPHASIS
    What stories are on the front page or “at the top of the hour?” Which stories get the largest headlines, or the first and longest coverage on TV or radio? Consider how this placement influences people’s sense of what is important.
    Source: Adobe Stock
    BIAS BY USE OF LANGUAGE
    ​The use of emotive language can be used to create particular perspectives. For example, the use of labels such as “terrorist,” “revolutionary,” or “freedom fighter” can create completely different impressions of the same person or event.
    Source: Adobe Stock
    BIAS IN PHOTOS
    ​Unflattering pictures can create bad impressions, and partial pictures of scenes can completely change the context of an event.
    Source: Adobe Stock
    BIAS IN THE SOURCE
    An article about a cure for cancer written by a drug company is not the same as an article by an independent researcher. Often, private companies, governments, public relations firms, and political groups produce press releases to gain media exposure and to influence the public.
    Source: Adobe Stock
    BIAS BY HEADLINES
    Some headlines can be deceptive, as their main purpose is to grab attention. Many people read only the headlines, which can create a distorted sense of what is really going on, or turn a non-event into a sensational event.
    Source: Adobe Stock
    BIAS BY REPETITION
    ​The repetition of a particular event or idea can lead people to believe that it is true, very widespread, and much more important than it really is.
    Source: Adobe Stock
    BIAS IN NUMBERS AND STATISTICS
    ​Statistics need to be interpreted; they are often used to create false impressions.
    Source: Adobe Stock
  • How biased are different media agencies?
    You can see from this chart the sources with the least amount of bias are found in the green section at the top. It includes sources like:
  • What does left & right mean?
    WHAT DOES LEFT MEAN?
    • They strive for an equal society and believe that the government should play a large part in people’s lives to help achieve this. This approach is sometimes referred to as big government.
    • They tend to support higher taxes on the rich, welfare for the poor, and government regulation (control) of business. This can also mean taking an interventionist approach towards economics, where the government will step in to prevent a recession (a period of economic decline).
    WHAT DOES RIGHT MEAN?
    • They strive to protect individual freedom and believe that the government should play a limited role in people’s lives.
    • They tend to support lower taxes, and less business regulation, and believe that private sector competition leads to better services (for example, private healthcare firms competing with each other for patients, rather than public healthcare provided by the government).
    Unifrog. (n.d.). Understanding the political spectrum.https://www.unifrog.org/know-how/understanding-the-political-spectrum  
    WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
    It’s useful to understand the political spectrum for three reasons:
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    • It can help you to spot bias. If a newspaper, news channel, or news site is known as having a left-wing or right-wing bias, it’s useful to keep that in mind when reading or watching their reports, as it might affect how they present certain people and events.

    • It can help you to reflect on your own bias. As you read through this guide, think about whether you lean more towards the left or right, and how this might impact your own views and interpretation of events.
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    • It can help you to understand why a new policy or law is made. Very often, political parties will suggest policies that align with their place on the spectrum (for example, the Labour party in the UK will often suggest left-wing policies). These policies can then become law.
    Unifrog. (n.d.). Understanding the political spectrum.https://www.unifrog.org/know-how/understanding-the-political-spectrum  
  • What about the Australian media?
    You can see from this chart the sources with the least amount of bias are found in the green section at the top. It includes sources like:
If you're not sure about the level of bias in a news source, you also use the Media Bias Fact Check website.