Weekly Example of Media Bias - October 3, 2012
NOTE TO STUDENTS: This vocabulary in this post is challenging. We suggest that you spend some time looking up unfamiliar words to help gain a better understanding of Mr. Taranto's post.
1. What type of bias are the excerpts below examples of?
2. In this post, James Taranto says: "the examples [Mr. Carr] offers in the first paragraph's rhetorical question reinforce rather than refute the argument that the media are biased." Do you agree with Mr. Taranto's assertion? Explain your answer.
3. Mr. Taranto says: "Narrow-mindedness and groupthink are sufficient to explain media bias (including the bias Carr, Martin and Burns display in caricaturing critics as conspiracy theorists), and poll bias can come from methodological problems or mistaken assumptions about how to interpret the data." A new poll released Tuesday revealed that 42% of voters believe pollsters are manipulating polls to benefit President Obama while 40% of voters don't think so. Do you agree with Mr. Taranto, the majority of voters, both or neither? Explain your answer.