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Directions
-Read the excerpt below from the Sept. 2, 2005 "Best of the Web" by James Taranto, found at www.OpinionJournal.com.
-Read "Types of Media Bias" in the right column. Then answer the questions.
“The nation’s unemployment rate dipped to a four-year low of 4.9 percent in August as companies added 169,000 jobs, a sign that the labor market continued to gain traction before Hurricane Katrina struck,” the Associated Press reports.
But the AP’s headline makes this sound like bad news: “Unemployment Rate Slumps to Four-Year Low.” Some will say this reflects a bias against reporting good economic news, especially when a Republican is in the White House. But then again, maybe the AP just feels sorry for employers who’ll be hit by higher labor costs.
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. Define editorialize.
2. Do you think that the Associated Press’ use of the word ‘slumps’ in the headline constitutes editorializing?
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the answers.
Answers
1. to editorialize is to insert personal opinions into an objective statement
2. answer varies based on your opinion – either:
no – the AP did not mean to use ‘slumps’ in a negative way, or:
yes – the AP’s headline was used purposely – they know the word slump is a negative word – a lower unemployment rate is good news
