There is much talk about bias in media reporting at the moment, with once trusted organisations like the BBC being accused of no longer being impartial. How does bias work in the media and how can it be combated?
Definition of media bias
Bias is when a media story is unbalanced and only provides one viewpoint, without looking at things from another perspective. It often involves information being presented in ways which support a particular worldview, political ideology or financial interests. A balanced story which is not biased includes different views, offering readers or viewers a complete picture which allows them to make their own judgements.
Positive bias
This happens when a story focuses only on the positive aspects of something, which could lead people to having a skewed perspective on it. Journalists who obtain a journalism degree from colleges such as //schoolofjournalism.co.uk/ are educated in fair and balanced reporting as part of their training.
Negative bias
When a journalist only focuses on the negative things about a subject, this is negative bias as it doesn’t include all the details and offers no supporting evidence. The White House recently unveiled a website which apparently tracks media bias. Constant attacks by Donald Trump and others, along with the rise of misinformation on social media, mean more people are questioning how unbiased the media is.
Trusting the news
Readers can check the veracity of news reports by reading different publications and websites to get all angles of a story which allows them to make an informed decision.