Unfortunately, it is widely known that things that should be unbiased are being paid to be biased. In this infographic, those who are paid to report the news to everyone are widely thought to be biased. One station reports the news in favor of the conservative side, while another reports the news on the liberal side.The news is supposed to be about informing. Informing the public of a possible danger overseas or in our backyard. Informing the public of upcoming events. Informing the public of tragedy in our neighborhood or on the other side of the world. In order to inform everyone equally, everything said should be in statements. For instance, there was an attack in ____ city. __ people were killed. It is unknown who caused the attack (rather than speculation). OR, there is evidence that ___ lead this attack (still not speculating). Instead, sentences will be added or subtracted to favor one side, or with certain wording that we will hear, and usually believe because it is the news saying it.
But news agencies are now being own by corporations. While the news is still getting across, it is being treated more as a show to increase viewership and thus increase sponsorship. In order to do this, the news agencies must give the people what they want to hear, and they want to hear things that align with their beliefs.
Challenge the students to form an opinion. Record a news program and play several news segments on the same subject reported by different agencies and using different medium. Ask the students what they believe, is the news biased? Better yet, divide the class into several groups. Each group listens to one agency exclusively and follows a story for a period of time. Each individual reports on the story, and see if the opinions of the group members align, or do people who followed the same agency largely disagree in their opinions. There is no better way for a student to learn than to see something for themselves.