"Media bias is the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of many events and stories that are reported and how they are covered."
A discussion of how media messages can be influenced by bias and propaganda, and how to identify these influences.
What is media bias?: Media bias refers to the partiality, favoritism, or distortion of information presented by media outlets, often resulting from personal or corporate biases, political affiliations, and ideological influences.
Types of media bias: Types of media bias refers to the various ways in which media outlets can exhibit partiality or present information with a certain slant, whether through ideology, framing, omission, or sensationalism.
Propaganda techniques: Propaganda techniques refer to the strategic methods used in media to influence public opinion and manipulate the audience's beliefs and behaviors.
Cognitive biases: Cognitive biases refer to systematic and often unconscious thinking patterns that can influence individuals' perceptions, judgments, and decision-making, potentially leading to biased interpretations of media messages.
Understanding news sources: Understanding news sources refers to the ability to critically analyze and evaluate various media outlets and their biases, credibility, and underlying motivations in presenting news.
News framing: News framing refers to the way that news media selectively emphasize certain aspects or angles of a story while downplaying or omitting others, influencing how audiences perceive and understand the news.
Media ownership and control: Media ownership and control refers to the concentration of media institutions and outlets in the hands of a small number of corporations or individuals, which can influence content and limit diversity in perspectives.
Ethics in journalism: Ethics in journalism pertains to the moral principles and standards that guide journalists' behavior and decision-making, ensuring accuracy, fairness, and transparency in reporting.
Fake news and disinformation: Fake news and disinformation refer to deliberate falsehoods and misleading information intentionally spread through media platforms to manipulate public opinion and create confusion.
Media literacy skills: Media literacy skills refer to the ability to critically analyze, evaluate and understand media messages and their influence on society.
Confirmation bias: The tendency to seek out and favor information that reinforces one's pre-existing beliefs and values.
Selection bias: The act of choosing media sources that align with a particular worldview or ideology, while discounting others.
Framing bias: Presenting facts or events in a particular context that elicits a desired emotional or intellectual response, often through the use of loaded language and visuals.
Source bias: Selectively citing sources with a particular agenda, while ignoring those that contradict it.
Spin: Distorting or manipulating facts to make them appear more favorable or positive toward a particular viewpoint or party.
Disinformation: Deliberately spreading false or inaccurate information to deceive or mislead the audience.
Propaganda: Using various media tools to promote a particular ideology or agenda, often through the selective use of information, emotive appeals, and other tactics.
Advertising bias: The use of advertising to promote a particular agenda, usually by highlighting certain virtues and de-emphasizing or ignoring others.
Sensational coverage: The intentional use of exaggerated or sensational language and visuals to capture the attention and interest of the audience, often at the expense of accuracy and context.
Omission bias: The failure to report, or underreporting, a particular aspect or perspective, which can result in a distorted and incomplete picture of an event or issue.
"The term 'media bias' implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the perspective of an individual journalist or article."
"The direction and degree of media bias in various countries is widely disputed."
"Practical limitations to media neutrality include the inability of journalists to report all available stories and facts, and the requirement that selected facts be linked into a coherent narrative."
"Government influence, including overt and covert censorship, biases the media in some countries, for example China, North Korea, Syria, and Myanmar."
"Politics and media bias may interact with each other; the media has the ability to influence politicians, and politicians may have the power to influence the media."
"Market forces may also cause bias. Examples include bias introduced by the ownership of media, including a concentration of media ownership, the subjective selection of staff, or the perceived preferences of an intended audience."
"There are a number of national and international watchdog groups that report on bias of the media."
[No direct quote provided. It can be inferred that media bias is not necessarily a deliberate choice, but rather a result of various factors influencing the selection and presentation of news.]
"This can change the distribution of power in society."
"The inability of journalists to report all available stories and facts."
"The requirement that selected facts be linked into a coherent narrative."
"For example, China, North Korea, Syria, and Myanmar."
"The media has the ability to influence politicians."
"Politicians may have the power to influence the media."
"Bias introduced by the ownership of media, including a concentration of media ownership."
"The subjective selection of staff."
"The perceived preferences of an intended audience."
[No direct quote provided, but it can be inferred that media bias can be subjective as it arises from individual journalists and news producers.]
"There are a number of national and international watchdog groups that report on bias of the media."