Are you Biased?

Georgia's run-off elections take place today. Why are there two Senate elections happening? Who is running against whom? Why is this significant? This article from the Washington Post answers those questions and helps break down the significance of these elections. 

But you can't discuss politics without also discussing the Media. And chances are, where the Media is concerned, discussions of "bias" soon follow.  Below is a "Media Bias Chart" from AllSides that rates where most major news entities stand on the ideological spectrum. 

But what is Media Bias? Is it a journalist's job to be unbiased? Is that even possible? Can anyone claim to be unbiased? (hint: No). 

Here's a brief FAQ about that answers some of those questions:

What is Media Bias? 

Let's break it down. The Media is any and all forms of communication--digital, print, social, radio/podcast, television, etc. Bias is the inclination, tendency or prejudice for or against something -- a person, an idea, etc. Media Bias is the idea that the forms of communication we rely on to get our news information is not fair or accurate because it heavily favors one side over the other.  

How can you detect Bias in the Media?

The short answer is to read/watch/listen critically...for a detailed explanation on how to do this, check out this article from the media watchdog group, FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting). 

Is it a journalist's job to be unbiased?

Yes and no. A journalist's job is to gather all the relevant information on the story they are presenting. It is up to them to make sure they are accurately presenting both sides of the story. However, even with all of the fact-gathering, it is possible that one side will get "more air-time" than the other or that certain unconscious biases will leak into the reporting. 

Are you biased?

If you've read this far, you know that the answer to that is a resounding yes! However, bias is not always bad...it is inherently human. A big part of being an intelligent consumer of the media is to understand what your biases are and how you can protect against them. 

Want to see where you stand? Take this quiz and rate your bias. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!