Media Bias
Media bias falls on a spectrum. News stories can be classified as less/more biased instead of simply biased/unbiased. Although media bias is not fake news, consuming news from media sources which only agree with our worldviews could prevent us from getting a balanced perspective of an issue.
When identifying bias in news stories, we can look out for these signs: reporting tone, framing of the story, omission of relevant sources, choice of stories being reported on, and the lack of fairness/balance in reporting.
These are some of the common types of bias in news reporting:
Partisan Bias
Bias where the news author's political views influence the news coverage.
Neutrality Bias
This may occur when a news outlet tries so hard to be neutral in their news coverage to the point that they start to misrepresent facts.
Demographic Bias
Bias where demographics, such as race, gender or economic status, may impact the coverage of the news.
"Big story" bias
Can occur when a journalist becomes too focused on a major developing story leading them to miss reporting on key information.
Corporate bias
Bias where a news outlet's decision to report a news story is influenced by the business or advertising interests of the news source or their parent company.
Source: News Literacy Project: Understanding bias - A nuanced approach to a vital news literacy topic