Wednesday's Biased Item - April 11, 2007
Media Ignore Near-Record Cold in Alaska
Excerpt
QUESTIONS: Read the excerpt below from Newsbusters.org posted by Noel Sheppard on April 5, 2007. Then scroll down and read "Types of Media Bias."1. Many news reports emphasize global warming, including melting glaciers and dire predictions for a coming warming. Why do you think the media did not report the same way on near-record cold in Alaska? Explain your answer.
2. Do you think the post below is an example of bias by omission and story selection or not? Explain your answer.
Media Ignore Near-Record Cold in Alaska
Imagine for a moment ... that Alaska experienced near-record high temperatures for the month of March. Do you think this would have been headline news...?
Well, if the answer is a resounding “Yes,†why didn’t any of these news agencies bother sharing weather data from America’s 49th state concerning the previous month being one of the coldest on record?
As reported by the Alaska Climate Research Center (emphasis added):
MARCH
Near-record cold in Alaska and abundant snow in the southeastStrong and widespread cold described March this year all across Alaska. Temperatures throughout the mainland were more than 8°F below average and the most extreme temperature departures of more than 16°F below average were observed in the central Interior. Areas along the Arctic coast and the southeast panhandle had relative warmth with temperature departures less than 8°F below average.
Now, just for argument’s sake, let’s diametrically change the entire report, and try to guess how the global warming alarmists in the media would have addressed it:
MARCH
Near-record heat in Alaska and scarce snow in the southeastStrong and widespread heat described March this year all across Alaska. Temperatures throughout the mainland were more than 8°F above average and the most extreme temperature departures of more than 16°F above average were observed in the central Interior. Areas along the Arctic coast and the southeast panhandle had relative cold with temperature departures less than 8°F above average.
....................
Think that would have generated some interest from [the] media?...
Go to NewsBusters.org for the original posting.
To accurately identify different types of bias, you should be aware of the issues of the day, and the liberal and conservative perspectives on each issue. (See our chart “Conservative vs. Liberal Beliefs”)
Types of Media Bias:
Omission – leaving one side out of an article or a series of articles over a period of time... (read more)
Selection of Sources – including more sources that support one view over another... (read more)
Story Selection – a pattern of highlighting news stories that support one side of an issue over another... (read more)
Placement – the location in the paper or article where a story or event is printed; a pattern of placing news stories so as to downplay information supportive of one side... (read more)
Labeling – comes in two forms: 1. Tagging of person from one party or group with extreme labels while leaving the other side unlabeled or with more mild labels. 2. A reporter not only fails to identify a liberal or conservative as such, but also describes the person or group with positive labels, such as “an expert” or “independent consumer group”... (read more)
Spin – occurs when the story has only one interpretation of an event or policy, to the exclusion of the other. Spin involves tone- a reporter’s subjective comments about objective facts... (read more)
Previous Biased Items
- The NY Times: A Year-Long Analysis: Part 1
August 27, 2008 - Washington Post Ombudsman: ‘3 to 1’ Obama Front Page Advantage
August 20, 2008 - Poll Shows Majority of Americans Believe Reporters Try to Help Their Candidates Win
June 11, 2008 - The Great Media Depression
June 4, 2008 - The AP Maligns Our Soldiers On Memorial Day Weekend
May 28, 2008
