ENG 111: College Composition I (Stanbach-Loudoun)

By definition, the word bias refers to showing an unjustified favoritism toward something or someone. Thus, on a very simplistic level, media bias refers to the media exhibiting an unjustifiable favoritism as they cover the news. When the media transmit biased news reports, those reports present viewers with an inaccurate, unbalanced, and/or unfair view of the world around them.

Political communication scholars have identified and examined two main types of bias in media reporting. The first type, commonly referred to as “partisan bias,” involves media reports that are slanted in favor of a particular political party. The second type of media bias is known as “structural bias.” This type of bias stems from certain “structures” (customs, reporting routines, commercial pressures, etc.) that operate within the news industry.

Levasseur, David, G. “Media Bias.” Encyclopedia of Political Communication, by Lynda Lee Kaid, Sage Publications, 2008. Credo Reference, https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6OTEzMTI0?summaryArticle=true&aid=98275.

Media bias is different from fake news because fake news is outright false and created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers. Biased sources don't always lie; instead, they focus on facts that support their own views while leaving out other important information. This means they may present a partial and misleading picture of the situation. 

Here are some of the ways media shows bias:

• In how they characterize the facts, and the narrative they create from the facts
• In their decisions about what facts/stories to cover

CMAC. "Media Literacy: Know Your Sources & Media Bias." YouTube, uploaded by CMAC, 15 July 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B1x3p3vesU.

Description: All media has a bias. Learn from Lisa how to determine the bias and factualness of the media you're interacting with and figuring out where the media is originating from.