Identifying Media Bias

What is one procedure for determining the credibility of a source

-Check the qualifications of its authors -Check the reputations of its authors -Check the methods used in preparing the source You should check several sources when trying to find accurate information on a topic

What is one way to find evidence for a claim?

-Identify and define clearly the claim for which you're trying to find evidence, make sure you know all the key terms so you know exactly what you're looking for -Identify the general types of information that would be acceptable as evidence -Examine the source line by line to locate evidence

What are some questions to ask yourself if you don't know if a primary source is reliable

-When was it written? -What is the authors background? -For whom was it written? -Why was it written?

What is a claim?

A claim is something that someone says is true.

What is a credible source?

A credible source is one that is generally regarded as providing accurate information

Bias by story selection

A pattern of highlighting news stories that coincide with the agenda of either the Left of the Right, while ignoring stories that coincide with the opposing view. Compare the amount of coverage given to each

Define the term credibility

Accurate information / accurate

Secondary sources

Authors of secondary sources get their information from other people. Authors use eyewitness accounts and other primary sources such as : diaries, letters, firsthand newspaper accounts, and official records. They may also look at other secondary sources

what is bias

Bias is preference for one thing over another

What is evidence?

Evidence is information that supports whether a claim is true. Evidence can also be referred to as "the facts," pieces of information that can be check out objectively by others

bias by labeling

Extreme labels or unlabeled with more mild labels or vice versa. Fails to identify a liberal as a liberal or a conservative as a conservative but describes the person or group with positive labels. "An expert" or "independent consumer group". or "ultra liberal," "ultra conservative"

Bias by selection of sources

Including more sources that support one view over another. This bias can also be seen when a reporter uses such phrases as "experts believe," "observers say," or "most people believe." Stay alert to the affiliations and political perspective of those quoted as experts or authorities in news stories. Make sure about an equal number of conservatives and liberals are quoted.

bias by omission

Leaving one side out of an article, or a series of articles over a period of time; ignoring facts that tend to disprove liberal or conservative claims, or that support liberal or conservative beliefs ... See if both conservative and liberal perspectives are included in stories on a particular event or policy

What is a primary source?

Primary sources are historical records left by people who directly observed the events. Types of primary sources include: written accounts, paintings, and drawings

What is SOAPS?

Soaps is S - Subject , what is the topic being addressed O - Occasion, what is the time and place this source comes from? What historical events were happening? A - Audience, who is this document intended for? Who does the writer want to see this document? P - Purpose, why would the author write this piece? What did they hope to accomplish in this piece? What kind of argument are they making? S - Speaker, who is the author? What is their occupation? What is their historical significance?

bias by placement

Story placement is a measure of how important the editor considers the story. Bias by placement is where on a website or in an article a story or event is printed; a pattern of placing news stories so as to downplay information supportive of either conservative or liberal views. Or whenever you read a story, see how far into the story each viewpoint first appears. In a fair and balanced story, the reporter would quote or summarize the liberal and conservative view at about the same place in the story.

bias by spin

bias by spin occurs when the story has only one interpretation of an event of policy, to the exclusion of the other; spin involves tone - it's a reporters subjective comments about objective facts; makes one side's ideological perspective look better