Find two or more news organizations' coverage of the same story to use for Part II below. Then, modify and use the pre-test (Part I) as a first step in assessing students' knowledge and skills. Explain to students before giving them the pre-test that it will not have any impact on their course grade; it is merely a tool that will help measure how much they have learned at the end of the unit.
Part I. Pre-Test
Student Name: ________________________________
Directions: Complete each of the following to the best of your ability.
Describe conservative (republican) political beliefs.
Describe liberal (democrat) political beliefs.
Define bias.
Circle the following types of bias you have heard of or are familiar with: omission, story selection, placement, labeling, selection of sources, spin.
Write a definition of each bias type you circled for item #4 above.
Circle any of the following news organizations you have heard of or are familiar with: CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, The New York Post, NPR (National Public Radio), Fox News, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, HuffPost (The Huffington Post), The National Review.
How confident are you in your ability to identify bias in news coverage: very confident, somewhat confident, not at all confident?
For each of the news organizations listed on the left in the chart below, place an X in the column you think best describes its political stance.
News Organization | conservative (republican) | liberal (democrat) | politically neutral | I don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CNN | | | | |
MSNBC / NBC | | | | |
The New York Times | | | | |
The New York Post | | | | |
NPR (National Public Radio) | | | | |
Fox News | | | | |
The Gaurdian | | | | |
The Wall Street Journal | | | | |
Minneapolis Star-Tribune | | | | |
HuffPost (The Huffington Post) | | | | |
The National Review | | | | |
After discussing bias with students, use the two or more news stories you selected to have students complete Part II below, either as homework outside of class or as an activity during class. The following resources may be helpful for discussing bias:
Part II. Identifying Media Bias
Student Name: ____________________________
Directions: Read and annotate the two news stories provided. Then, complete items 1-9 below to the best of your ability.
For each of the stories, identify its news organization's general political stance (conservative/republican, liberal/democrat, or neutral).
Describe an example of omission bias if you saw it in either story.
Describe an example of placement bias if you saw it in either story.
Describe an example of labeling bias if you saw it in either story.
Describe an example of selection of sources bias if you see it. Which story did you see it in?
Describe an example of spin bias if you see it.
Do you detect any bias in the image(s) that accompanies the story? Explain.
Describe any other forms of bias did you noticed, such as loaded language, spin, narrative shaping, etc.
Which story provides the most complete, balanced coverage? Why?
Go over Part II in class so students have a chance to share and reflect on what they have learned. Answer remaining questions about media bias. Then, for assessment, have students complete the Pre-Test from Part I and/or give them a different news story and have them complete Part II as a post-test(s).