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Directions
-Read the excerpt below from the "Best of the Web" post by OpinionJournal.com's editor James Taranto (original post date 3/3/11).
-Read "Types of Media Bias" in the right column. Then answer the questions.
“What Was the Motive in Shooting Deaths of 2 U.S. Airmen?” asks the headline at AOLNews.com. Writer Dana Kennedy tries to puzzle it out:
Who is Arif Uka and why is he suspected of opening fire today on American servicemen on a U.S. military bus at Frankfurt’s airport?
The attack killed two airmen and wounded two.
Investigators were scrambling to find out more about the 21-year-old Kosovo citizen after they say he fired shots at U.S. military personnel on a bus outside Terminal 2 at one of Europe’s busiest airports this afternoon. . . .
Speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his business, the man said witnesses told him that the gunman first talked to the military personnel to find out who they were and then opened fire, shouting “God is great” in Arabic.
The BBC reports that “prosecutors in Germany say they suspect Islamic militancy as the motive.” They may be rushing to conclusions, though. After all, don’t most killers these days shout “God is great” in Arabic?
[NOTE: “God is Great” in Arabic is “Allahu Akbar”]Read the original post at OpinionJournal.com. (scroll one-third of the way down the page to “Mystery Motive”)
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.
Types of Media Bias:Questions
1. What do you think of the AOLNews choice of headline – “What Was the Motive in Shooting Deaths of 2 US Airmen?” – that accompanied the news report?
2. What do you think of AOL’s effort to avoid identifying the murderer as an Islamic extremist? Explain your answer.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the answers.
Answers
1. Opinion question. Answers vary.
2. Opinion question. Answers vary.
