Political bias has been debated ever since printing presses started running in the American colonies. In fact, early newspapers were based on having a political bias. While most news outlets strive to present objective versions of events, sometimes even the inclusion of one word can project subtle forms of bias. Find an example of a news report online that could be perceived as biased from someone with a firm stance on the issue. Include a link to the story in your post and detail what could be considered biased in the report. Next, address how the journalist, editor or producer might have altered the presentation to avoid this appearance.

Also, find and discuss that news outlet’s stand on independence: Can you find statements about the organization’s stance on being objective or independent? How hard were these statements to find? What did they say? If you couldn’t find a statement of this type, what perception might that leave in the minds of the audience?

If this is your main activity, use a 300-word post to discuss your findings on both topics. Otherwise, comment on a classmate’s post or add a brief reflection on your own attempt to explore these ideas.