Days #5 & #6 - Understanding Bias

Neutrality bias

A type of bias in which a journalist or news outlet tries so hard to avoid appearing biased to anyone that the coverage actually misrepresents the facts.

Big story bias

A type of bias in which journalists' perceptions of an event or development as a major, important story can cause them to miss key details and misrepresent key facts.

Demographic bias

A type of bias in which race, gender, ethnicity or other factors — such as culture or economic class — affect news coverage.

Sourcing

All of the people, organizations, documents and other providers of information that are used to put together a news report. The use of incomplete or otherwise flawed sourcing is one potential form that various types of news media bias can take.

Impartial

In journalism, the effort to avoid bias by being as fair and accurate as possible in reporting.

Tone

In journalism, the use of words and phrases that affect the audience's perception of the issue or event being covered. This is one form that various types of bias can take in reporting.

News media bias

Prejudice in straight news reporting that skews coverage in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way that is considered unfair or distorting.

Absence of fairness and balance

The failure of a straight news report to present a fair and balanced representation of the event or issue. This is a form that various types of bias can take in news coverage.

Objectivity

The methodological approach to straight news reporting that is designed to remove the influence of personal biases to the greatest extent possible.

Story selection bias

The process that news outlets use to decide which issues and events to cover. This is a form that various types of bias can take in news coverage.

Framing

The way that journalists approach and organize a story. Various types of news media bias can be expressed in how a story is framed.