Bias in the Media: Media Bias Detectors

The following websites represent nonpartisan organizations that critically examine bias in media sources.

FactCheck.org
A nonprofit consumer advocate for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
An independent public opinion research organization that studies attitudes toward politics, the press and public policy issues.

Pew Research Center: Journalism & Media
Informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. They conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research.

Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy
This is a Harvard University research center dedicated to exploring and illuminating the intersection of press, politics and public policy in theory and practice.

Media watchdog groups attempt to find the facts behind biased reporting; however, be aware that some of these groups may have their own political bias.

Conservative Leaning

• Accuracy in Media
• Media Research Center

Liberal Leaning

• Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
• MediaMatters for America

Recommended Reading

Melissa Zimdars, a communication and media professor from Merrimack College in Massachusetts, compiled a list entitled:

"Fake, False, Regularly Misleading, and Otherwise Questionable News Organizations."

According to the author, this type of information is  commonly shared on Facebook and other social media sites.

Tait, Amelia. "Facebook’s False Reality." New Statesman 145.5331 (2016): 17-18. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2016. 

The article discusses the dissemination of fake news on Facebook, the algorithms it uses to post new stories, and responsibilities to its users.

Love, Robert. "Before Jon Stewart: The Truth About Fake News. Believe It." Columbia Journalism Review 45.6 (2007): 33-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

This article discusses the evolution of fake news and satirical media before the television programs "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report.” According to the author, fake news was rooted in government propaganda.

How to Analyze a News Story: Eight Guidelines for Reading Between the Lines
by Jay Davis

• Compare headlines and story content
• Identify politically-charged labels, adjectives, and verbs
• Question the agenda of sources
• Consider whether the placement of ideas and sources affects the story’s impact
• How might the story change if told from another perspective
• Compare photographs and photo captions to the news stories connected with them
• Which perspective does data from polls and statistics seem to support

Source: The Center for Media Literacy