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Political Science 107: Evaluating Resources

Sources of Bias

Political Bias - Does there seem to be an obvious, or even subtle, lean favoring one political side?

Commercial Bias - Are there disclosures, obvious positive links between stories and advertising, or conversely a noticeable lack of reporting on a visible advertiser?

Temporal Bias - Is the story "breaking news"?  Does it relate to recent events?  Is there more backstory?

Visual Bias - Are any visual images used (photographs, infographics) misleading or emotionally charged?

Sensationalism - Are there shocking details?  Are there exaggerated details or topics that seem more for entertainment?

Narrative Bias - Is the writer trying too hard to create a narrative instead of reporting facts?

Fairness Bias - Are multiple sides of an issue presented?  Is the presentation neutral?

Expediency Bias - With a focus on being the first to report a story, are all angle explored in depth?

(Borrowed from the University of Texas Libraries "Evaluating News Sources" https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/news/evaluate)