Title: How To Detect Bias In News Media — FAIR
Headings: How To Detect Bias In News Media
How To Detect Bias In News Media
Who are the sources?
Is there a lack of diversity?
From whose point of view is the news reported?
Are there double standards?
Do stereotypes skew coverage?
What are the unchallenged assumptions?
Is the language loaded?
Is there a lack of context?
Do the headlines and stories match?
Are stories on important issues featured prominently?

Content: Coverage of rape trials will often focus on a woman’s sexual history as though it calls her credibility into question. After the arrest of William Kennedy Smith, a New York Times article (4/17/91) dredged up a host of irrelevant personal details about his accuser, including the facts that she had skipped classes in the 9th grade, had received several speeding tickets and-when on a date-had talked to other men. Is the language loaded? When media adopt loaded terminology, they help shape public opinion. For instance, media often use the right-wing buzzword “racial preference” to refer to affirmative action programs. Polls show that this decision makes a huge difference in how the issue is perceived: A 1992 Louis Harris poll, for example, found that 70 percent said they favored “affirmative action” while only 46 percent favored “racial preference programs.” Challenge the assumption directly. Often bringing assumptions to the surface will demonstrate their absurdity. Most reporters, for example, will not say directly that a woman deserved to be raped because of what she was wearing.