Identifying Media Bias Types in News Reporting
Types of Media Bias
Bias by Omission
Bias by omission involves leaving one side out of an article, or a series of articles over time. This includes ignoring facts that tend to disprove claims of one group or support beliefs of another group. Bias by omission can occur within a single story or over the long term as a news outlet reports on one set of events but not another.
Bias by Selection of Sources
Bias by selection of sources occurs when including more sources that support one view over another. This bias is also evident when a reporter uses vague phrases such as “experts believe,” “observers say,” or “most people believe.” Experts in news stories function similarly to expert witnesses in trials: if you know which side called the expert, you can often predict their testimony. When a news story presents only one side, it usually reflects the reporter’s support. Journalists sometimes seek quotes to fit their preferred argument into a story.
To find bias by the use of experts or sources, remain alert to the affiliations and political perspectives of those quoted as authorities. If a story quotes non-experts, such as average citizens, check to ensure an equal number come from both sides of the issue in question.
Bias by Story Selection
Bias by story selection is a pattern of highlighting news stories that align with one side’s agenda while ignoring stories that support the opposing view. This includes printing a story or study released by one group while ignoring studies on the same or similar topics released by the opposing group. To identify bias by story selection, you must be aware of both sides of the issue.
Bias by Placement
Bias by placement measures how important the editor considers a story to be. Studies show that the average newspaper reader often reads only the headline. Bias by placement is determined by where on a website or in a newspaper an article or event is printed; it is a pattern of placing news stories to downplay information supportive of either conservative or liberal views.
Bias by Labeling
Bias by labeling manifests in two ways:
- Tagging one side with extreme labels while leaving the other side unlabeled or using milder labels, or vice versa.
- An example is calling a group opposing gun ownership “snowflakes” while referring to a group supporting gun ownership as “concerned citizens.”
Bias by Spin
Bias by spin occurs when a story offers only one interpretation of an event or policy, to the exclusion of others. Spin involves tone—it is a reporter’s subjective comments about objective facts, making one side’s ideological perspective look better than another.
To check for spin, observe which interpretation of an event or policy a news story matches: the liberal or the conservative. Many news stories do not reflect a particular spin, and others summarize the spin put on an event by both sides. However, if a story reflects one interpretation to the exclusion of the other, you have found bias by spin.