CNN: One Year Analysis

Weekly Example of Media Bias   —   Posted on December 17, 2008
Since CNN.com bases more and more of its coverage on video, [HonestReporting] decided to analyze CNN video reports available online. … [Their] goal was to determine whether CNN was giving more time to footage favoring one side of the [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict over the other. [They] found that video footage favored the Palestinians over Israel by an almost two-to-one margin.

Summary of Findings from November 1, 2007- October 31, 2008 [are as follows]:

  • Sixty-seven minutes of the combined CNN video segments were spent airing images sympathetic to the situation of the Palestinians. Only a total of 31 minutes and forty-five seconds illustrated the Israeli side.
  • Almost twice as many people interviewed (56) were critical of Israeli polices as opposed to those who were critical of Palestinian actions or defended Israel (30).
  • Twenty-one out of thirty-one cases (67%) in which CNN hosted raw footage on its website reflected negatively on Israel.

Read the complete HonestReporting analysis [includes video clip examples] at honestreporting.com.


Questions

1.  HonestReporting.com's analysis of CNN's reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict demonstrates several types of media bias.  Name these types of bias.

2.  Look at the examples in Honest Reporting's analysis at honestreporting.com.  Do you think that this analysis proves that CNN has been biased against Israel in its reporting?  Explain your answer.