351 lecture 7 handout
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Mark Willes, CEO of Deseret Media Company, will give a presentation on fairness, balance, and bias in the media. He will discuss how news organizations can be trusted voices that promote an informed citizenry. The document examines perceptions of media bias and how to determine if a news story or outlet exhibits unfairness or bias. It explores the differences between balance, fairness, and bias, and discusses cognitive biases that can influence perceptions of media bias.
351 lecture 7 handout
- 1. Week 7 Fairness, Balance, & Bias
- 2. Mark Willes CEO Deseret Media Company How to be trusted voices of light and knowledge Thursday, 11:00 a.m. BRMB Atrium
- 3. Mark Willes CEO Deseret Media Company Extra Credit: What are the strengths and weaknesses of Deseret Media Company’s efforts to promote an informed ciAzenry?
- 4. Is the News Media Biased?
- 5. What the Public Believes 74% say news organizations tend to favor one side in dealing with political and social issues Only 18% say they deal fairly well with all sides. The proportion saying the press favors one side has jumped 8 % since 2007 and 21% since 1985 -2009survey Press Accuracy Rating Hits Two Decade Low
- 6. What the Public Believes 50% believe the media has a liberal slant 22% believe the media has a conservative slant -Pew Research Center, 2009 survey Press Accuracy Rating Hits Two Decade Low
- 7. No Doubts “Now, it is common knowledge that the mainstream media from the major television networks to the country’s most influential newspapers are biased against the GOP.”
- 9. Is there a perception of bias or is the bias real?
- 10. Three Questions Today: • How do we know if a news article is fair? • How do we know if a news outlet is biased? • What’s the difference between news media bias and audience bias?
- 11. What is missing?
- 12. Balance, Fairness and Bias
- 13. Balance, Fairness and Bias What’s Missing?
- 14. What’s the Difference Between Fairness and Balance?
- 15. Key Definitions Balance: Equality between the totals of the two (or more) sides of the account. Balance is more technical; a quantitative measurement.
- 16. What Is Balance?
- 17. Can Balance Be the Opposite of Fairness? Should Holocaust Deniers Get Equal Space?
- 18. Is Balance the Same as Fairness? Should Climate Change Doubters Get Equal Space?
- 19. Key Definitions Fairness: Marked by impartiality and honesty. Free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism. Being fair to the evidence.
- 20. Finding Fairness: • Fair play • Fair language • Fair presentation
- 21. Fair play: • Obvious effort to include relevant perspectives • People, Organizations get to respond to negative charges
- 22. Fair Play
- 24. Fair Play: Avoid Loaded Words “Right-to-Life” vs. “Anti-Abortion” “Pro-Choice” vs. “Pro-Abortion” “Ruthless” vs. “Tough” “Admitted” vs. “Said” “Islamic Community Center” vs. “Ground Zero Mosque”
- 25. Fair Presentation: Avoids prejudicial photos Presents photos and other materials in a neutral way.
- 28. Key Definitions Bias: A predisposition that distorts your ability to fairly weigh the evidence and prevents you from reaching a fair or accurate judgment.
- 29. Fair, Unfair, or Biased? School Bus Aide Busted Dealing Methadone
- 30. The News Literacy Definition: Bias: a pattern of unfairness
- 31. Common Flaws in “Bias” Claims “The news media is biased” is an over-generalization. Some outlets, maybe. Opinion Journalism by an organization doesn’t necessarily prove there’s slant in the news coverage. Guilt by association is a fallacy.
- 32. Mistake or Bias?
- 33. Sloppy Reporting or Bias? Dan Rather and George Bush
- 34. Opinion or Bias?
- 35. News Judgment or Bias? Choosing a story to cover is not de-facto proof of bias.
- 36. News Judgment or Bias? Choosing a story to cover is not de-facto proof of bias.
- 37. News Judgment or Bias?
- 38. News Judgment or Bias? Choosing not to cover a story is not de facto proof of bias
- 39. Ratings or Bias? LaToyia Figueroa and Natalee Holloway: Differences in Coverage
- 40. The stronger the emotion, The more likely bias will be charged: • Politics • Race and Gender • Social Issues • Religion
- 41. How to Spot Bias Look for evidence of a pattern of unfairness over time Compare a variety of news outlets especially to search for a bias by omission Take note of the self-interest of those alleging bias
- 43. Cognitive Dissonance: Democratic Brains vs. Republican Brains This is Your Brain on Politics
- 44. Responses to Cognitive Dissonance Selective Distortion & Retention People tend to distort (or forget) incoming information if it does not match their point of view.
- 45. Responses to Cognitive Dissonance Source Misattribution When they do remember sources, people may selectively attribute comforting information to a more respectable source .
- 46. Responses to Cognitive Dissonance Confirmation Bias We tend to pursue information that only reflects our point of view.
- 47. Responses to Cognitive Dissonance Peer Influence on Perception Our perceptions of things like size or distance can be impaired by group pressure.
- 48. Responses to Cognitive Dissonance
- 49. News Bias vs. Audience Bias The War in Lebanon, 1982 Does Being More Informed Guarantee That You Will Be a Less-Biased News Consumer?
- 50. “Hostile Media Effect” • A belief among partisans that news reports are painting them in the worst possible light. The War in Lebanon, 1982 People who are deeply involved in one side of an issue or another are quicker to spot and remember aspects of a news story that are negative. The best-informed partisans are the most likely to see bias.
- 51. “Hostile Media Effect” Pew Research Center, 2009 Press Accuracy Rating Hits Two Decade Low
- 52. Yeah, Yeah…But What About Bias? During Obama’s first 100 days in office, “…positive stories about Obama have outweighed negative by two-to-one" -- 42 percent to 20 percent -- while 38 percent were neutral or mixed.” -Pew Research.org (a major media research organization)
- 53. Since viewers perceive the media to be biased, can we infer that the media is, in fact, biased?
- 54. Does public perception of media bias have anything to do with the fact that liberal media bias is the focus of one network’s entire marketing campaign?
- 55. Can we infer from the fact that reporters have ideological beliefs that their reporting will reflect these ideological beliefs?
- 56. Is it possible, either through methodological checks and balances (VIA) or reflective policing of one’s biases to combat this bias if it exists?
- 57. Is Individual Objectivity Realistic? Is Organizational Objectivity More Realistic?
- 58. Journalists submit to the discipline of v erification, a newsroom system of aggressive peer review and a code of I ethics that defines ndependence, and demands transparency-based A ccountability.
- 59. Voters on Income Tax Levels Since January 2009 have your Federal income taxes: A) Gone Down B) Stayed the Same C) Gone up 86 %
- 60. Voters on Scientists’ Views of Climate Change Do you think that MOST SCIENTISTS believe that: A) Climate change is occurring B) Views are evenly divided C) Climate change is not occurring 45%
- 61. Misinformation and the Election The good news: increasing exposure to news sources decreased misinformation… The bad news: in some news sources higher levels of exposure increased misinformation
- 62. Misinformation and the 2010 Election www.worldpublicopinion.org / University of Maryland Study
- 63. Misinformation and the Election Most scientist think that climate change is not occurring Fox News Consumers Rarely 30% Once a week 45% Almost everyday 60%
- 64. Conclusions Are there examples of unfair news stories? Absolutely Is unfairness an automaEc sign of bias? No Can a news outlet exhibit bias? Yes, but it’s hard to prove Is the percep%on of bias as dangerous as bias itself? Yes
- 65. Today’s Key Lessons of News Literacy: Don’t judge the news media on the basis of one news outlet or story. Don’t judge one outlet on the basis of one mistake--look for patterns. Stay open to information that challenges your previously-held beliefs and assumptions
- 66. What are your biases? Project Implicit
- 67. Due next time Opposing viewpoints 1. Choose one of the topics listed in the instructions 2. Find stories that represent polar opposing views 3. First read that which most closely aligns with your views 4. Follow directions for completing the assignment
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- #19: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/08/democrats-climate-change-big-guns-republicans\n\nhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1230113/The-devastating-book-debunks-climate-change.html\n
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- #51: (From story in the Times:) “When someone says several nice things about you and one derogatory thing, what sticks in your mind? People who are deeply invested in one side are quicker to spot and remember aspects of the news that hurt than they are to see aspects that help, said Richard Perloff, a Cleveland State University political communication researcher.\nStanford psychologist Lee D. Ross explains it like this:"When you are persuaded by something, you don't think it is propaganda”. "Israelis know they see the world the way they do because they are Israelis, and Arabs, too. The difference is people think in their case, their special identities are a source of enlightenment, whereas other people's source of enlightenment is a source of bias."\n
- #52: http://www.people-press.org/2009/09/13/press-accuracy-rating-hits-two-decade-low/\n
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