Comparing media coverage of a story
Discussion: Comparing media coverage of a story
Be sure to answer ALL the questions below.
Provide in-text citations and a list of works cited in MLA format.
1. Go to All Sides, a site devoted to providing multiple angles on
the same story, and write about the differences in the way one
story is covered by three different news outlets, one on the
political right, one centrist, and one on the left.
2. In your comparison, note whether you find examples of bias in
coverage of the issue. Remember, there are different kinds of
bias – liberal/conservative, commercial, patriotic, etc.
Consult the library guide on Fake News. Under the “Journalism”
page, look for the “All Sides Bias Ratings.” What are the public’s
judgments about the liberal/conservative bias of the news sources
you chose? Do you agree with these ratings? Why/why not?
3. How factual is the information presented in each story? What
sources are cited in the story? Who is the author of the story and
what are his/her credentials?
See the library guide’s section on “Combating Fake News.” What
advice does the library guide
(Links to an external site.)
give on how to spot fake news? Check the story you researched
on one of the fact-checking sites below to see if the fact-checkers
have analyzed any claims in the story.
The Annenberg Center’s FactCheck
The Tampa Bay Times project, Politifact
4. What impact does each story have on the reader? (Does it
make you angry, frustrated, proud, etc.?) Consider the issue of
filter bubbles. If citizens rely on exclusively liberal or conservative
news sources, what impact does this have on our democracy?
See the section on “Filters” on the “Journalism” page of the
library guide. What can you do to burst your own filter bubble?
