Media Bias and Language
Lesson 2
Unit 4
Language in Society
What is bias?

Bias is an inclination to think, act, or react in a particular
manner based on a viewpoint, ideology, opinion, or
understanding.
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Bias surrounds us, and no one is without bias.
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Bias is often seen as negative and something to avoid.
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This is impossible, as no situation can be truly objective.
Bias is not inherently bad or good; interpretations of bias are
clues to other forms of bias.
Media bias refers to the bias of journalists and news producers
within mass media.
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Can affect selection of which events and stories are reported and
how.
8 Types of Print Media Bias
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1. Bias through placement.
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2. Bias by headline.
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3. Bias by photos, captions, and
camera angles.
4. Bias through the use of
names and titles.
5. Bias through statistics and
crowd counts.
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6. Bias by source control.
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7. Word choice and tone.
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8. Bias through selection and
omission.
1. Bias through placement
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The importance attached to the story by where in the newspaper it is
placed.
Can be applied to internet news sources also.
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Is it at the top of the page?
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Is it on the front page?
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Do you have to go to sub-pages to find the information?
1. Bias through placement
1. Bias through placement
2. Bias by headline

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The message conveyed about the story by the words chosen for
the headline.
Example Headlines from November 2008 after Proposition 8
passed:
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“Same-sex marriage backers hit Capitol, churches”
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“Anti-gay marriage group steps up for Prop. 8”
3. Bias by photos, captions, and
camera angles
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The emotive nature of the image used to illustrate the story.
4. Bias through the use of names
and titles

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How an individual, group or organization is designated and
the labels used to describe them.
From “Thousands in S.F. march to protest Prop. 8” (Nov. 8, 2008)
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“’Our rights have been taken away,’ said Debra Walker, a lesbian who
has lived in San Francisco since 1981.”
“Ryan Kerian, 28, a gay lawyer and San Francisco resident, said the
rally was designed to ‘show that we won’t be silent.’”
“Uriah Findley, 27, who is straight and was born and raised in
conservative Orange County, said he believes that Prop. 8 will be a
fleeting event in California history.”
5. Bias through statistics and
crowd counts
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Incomplete, inaccurate or selective use of statistics. Words chosen
to describe crowd size.
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“While a Field Poll last month showed only 38 percent of likely voters
backing Proposition 8, with 55 percent opposed, those figures may not
reflect how Californians feel about same-sex marriage.”
“While Obama publicly backed the ‘No on Prop. 8’ effort, African
American voters had no trouble voting overwhelmingly for the man who
will be the nation’s first black president and then voting 70 percent in
favor of Prop. 8, exit polls showed.”
6. Bias by source control
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Sources of information and the status of those sources.
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List of all sources from article: “Same-sex marriage: state’s great divide”
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Bill Doughty, a volunteer organizer for the Yes on 8 campaign
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Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll
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Frank Schubert, campaign consultant for the Yes on 8 campaign
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Stephanie Stolte of Turlock, an organizer for a Unitarian Universalist group
that is part of the “No on 8” coalition
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Martina Virrey, a Stockton organizer with the “No on Prop. 8” effort
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Myrna Elias, a 29-year-old student from Stockton (quoted about Yes on 8)
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Rebecca Whitman, a Stockton mother of five (quoted about Yes on 8)
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Ken Boyd, a volunteer organizer for the Yes on 8 campaign rom Kerman
(Fresno County)
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Ron Heinzen, an engineer from Stockton, is a Prop. 8 supporter who has
put in his time on the streets.
7. Word choice and tone
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Use of positive or negative words to describe a person or situation.
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From article “Prop. 8 foes concede defeat, vow to fight on”
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…attorneys for several gay rights groups have challenged the
Prop. 8 victory,
Supporters of Prop. 8 suggested that the opponents were little
more than sore losers making a desperate attempt to overturn
their loss on election day.
[Geoff] Kors [executive director of Equality California] and other
opponents of the measure also complained about what they
considered to be false statements and questionable tactics by the
Prop. 8 campaign…
8. Bias through selection and
omission
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What stories, events or perspectives are included or not
included.
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What the media includes, highlights, or doesn't include influences how
we interpret what is being reported.
How can selection and omission be seen in relation to some of the
other points we have seen?
8. Bias through selection and
omission
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Selection and omission can pertain on a wider level, such as
regarding topics, headlines, who is quoted, etc. (As seen in #1-7)
However, it is often commonly done even with a single sentence:
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Example:
– The FBI arrested a man on suspicion of murder.
– A man was arrested by the FBI on suspicion of murder.
– A man was arrested on suspicion of murder.
– A man was arrested.
– An arrest was made.
8. Bias through selection and
omission
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From article “Newsom was central to same-sex marriage saga”
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Newsom’s rash decision four years ago… fueled what
arguably is the next civil rights movement.
Newsom kicked it off with an act of civil disobedience.
Newsom has been blamed for a variety of shortcomings
related to same-sex marriage.
When he refused to listen, he was eventually blamed for the
party’s failing to win the presidency.
In many respects, Newsom has taken the blame all over
again, this time for the loss of same-sex marriage.
Agency
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Two related concepts are often used together in sentences
to determine how information is presented, and how we as
readers perceive it: Agency and Voice.
Agency refers to who is doing the action of a
verb in a given sentence.
In English, the agent is the DOER of the verb
in the sentence.
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EX: Colorful parrots fly through the rainforest.
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EX: The rabbit was chased by the fox.
Voice
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In English, we have two major types of “voice” in a sentence: active
voice, and passive voice.
In active voice sentences, the agent is the subject of the sentence.
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Subjects come before the verb in English.
In passive voice sentences, the agent is NOT the subject of the
sentence.
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The agent (DOER of the verb) can be moved after the verb, or even
removed completely.
Active Voice
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Examples:
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Cows eat grass.
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Jaime’s cousin was buying a brand new camera this morning.
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‘cows’ is the subject, and the agent. (The eating is being performed
by the cows)
Jaime’s cousin is the subject, and the agent. (The buying was
performed by Jaime’s cousin)
The interviewer offered her a job yesterday.
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The interviewer is the subject, and the agent. (The offer was
performed by the interviewer)
Passive Voice
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Examples:
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Grass is eaten by cows.
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A new camera was bought this morning by Jaime’s cousin.
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‘grass’ is the subject, but NOT the agent. (The grass is not
performing the eating)
‘a new camera’ is the subject, but NOT the agent. (A new camera is
not performing the buying)
She was offered a job yesterday.
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‘she’ is the subject, but NOT the agent. (She is not performing the
offering)
Why use passive?
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Why are passive constructions used?
–
The agent is unknown, unwanted, unneeded, or unimportant.
–
The author wishes to emphasize the action or recipient rather
than the agent.
Who uses them?
–
Media “Four suspects were arrested yesterday”
–
Sciences “The bacteria were found to be very resilient”
–
Academic Writing “The subjects were seen to respond well
to...(FINISH)”
–
Politicians “Mistakes were made”
Now Try It!
1. My mother baked a cake for dessert.
2. The children were dropped off by their parents.
3. Marilyn mailed her sister a letter.
4. The bear was shot three times in the chest.
Manipulating Agency and Voice
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What happens when we change the voice or change the agency?
–
Bulls trampled on hundreds of spectators in Pamplona.
–
Hundreds of spectators were trampled on by bulls in Pamplona.
–
Hundreds of spectators were trampled on.
Does the meaning change when it is active or passive? What about
if there is or isn't an agent mentioned? Does the way you think
about the sentence change? How?
Data Analysis: Agency and Voice
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Get into small groups (about 3 students each)
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Each group will be looking at 3 sentences in the data handout.
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Have one person from the group read your section out loud.
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Decide for each highlighted sentence:
–
–
–
–
If it is Active or Passive
What/who the agent is (if present)
What the sentence would be like in a different
voice.
How your understanding of the sentence differs
from one voice to another. If there are things
missing, or if a sentence doesn't sound right,
why do you think that is?