Lesson 15 – Bias and Impartiality: Ideology

Lesson 15

Starter

Discuss, with the person sitting next to you, your understanding of the following word:

Bias

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BIAS

A positive or negative attitude towards something, often based on preconceptions or viewpoints.

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Bias

Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code is in place to

make sure that any TV news broadcast is

truthful, accurate, fair and balanced.

Although not overtly biased, it could be

suggested that the gatekeeping approach

may not be an impartial selection of news

stories.4

Bias

Corporate bias – stories may be selected or slanted to please the corporate owners of media. (Rupert Murdoch owns News International, who among others owns Fox News and Sky News.)

Mainstream bias – stories are selected on the basis of what every other news channel is reporting, as well as avoiding stories that will offend anyone.

Sensationalism bias – stories are selected which may impart more exciting news than ordinary common events. Concision bias – stories are selected on the basis that they are succinctly short and easy to report, rather than news that may take time to explain.

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The wolf’s perspective

A classic fairy tale only tells the story from one perspective!

Red Riding Hood’s!We do not know the wolf’s side of the story!

Write the wolf’s version!6

Plenary

Question 1Stories can often be made more exciting by changing the words – i.e. an ex-con sounds better than referring to a person who was in prison over 15 years ago for a very minor offence.

What type of bias is this?

• Corporate bias• Mainstream bias• Sensationalism bias• Concision bias

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Plenary

Question 2Stories can be placed and selected according to what is most current and topical.

What type of bias is this?

• Corporate bias• Mainstream bias• Sensationalism bias• Concision bias

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Plenary

Question 3Stories can be specifically chosen by the editor in charge to suit the owner of the organisation.

What type of bias is this?

• Corporate bias• Mainstream bias• Sensationalism bias• Concision bias

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Plenary

Question 4Specific stories can be selected to report on because they are short and to the point, rather than lengthy and debatable.

What type of bias is this?

• Corporate bias• Mainstream bias• Sensationalism bias• Concision bias

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Plenary

Answers

Question 1 Sensationalism biasQuestion 2 Mainstream biasQuestion 3 Corporate biasQuestion 4 Concision bias

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IMPARTIALITY – what does it mean?

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IMPARTIALITY – what does it mean?

Discuss your understanding of this term with the person sitting next to you.

Can you come up with a understandable definition?

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TV news broadcasting and election coverageIt is the coverage of the general election that really tests TV news broadcasters’ impartiality and balance. There are strict rules within the Broadcasting Code that must be adhered to. Some of the main points are:• Presenters are not allowed to use their position to encourage or

persuade voters to support a particular political party or candidate.

 • Due impartiality must be strictly maintained and major parties

must be given equal opportunities for coverage.

• When polling opens there must not be any discussion or analysis of election and referendum issues, and they cannot be discussed until the poll closes. 14

Impartiality activity

The worksheet shows a report which is

biased and sensationalised.

What words would you take out

to make the report impartial?

Write the impartial version on the

worksheet.15

Impartiality activity

The words that should have been removed are

highlighted in bold!

Good afternoon – the idiotic political party leaders are due to

arrive in Brussels later to discuss the dreadful results of the

European elections. David Cameron is expected to forcefully

urge fellow EU leaders to embrace reform as mainstream

parties fight furiously to recover their positions after the

fantastic success of Eurosceptics across Europe. In the UK,

UKIP won nearly 28% of the votes. The party now has more

MEPs than silly Labour and the stupid Conservatives. 16

Stuart Hall’s preferred reading theory

Stuart Hall’s theory is that any media text is constructed to have an intended or preferred reading which is the representation of the media producer’s ideas and values.

Of course, impartiality means that there is no likelihood of the audience perceiving any intended meaning.

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Stuart Hall’s preferred reading theory

Preferred reading – audience is in total acceptance of the intended meaning

Negotiated reading – audience may agree or disagree with some of the preferred reading

Oppositional reading – audience are in total disagreement with the preferred reading

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Stuart Hall’s preferred reading theory

Because TV news broadcasts have to be impartial, it is up to us, the audience, to seek out the desired information to form our own opinions about our political ideals.

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Jeremy Paxman – Newsnight

Watch from 10:15 – two Paxman clips20

Jeremy Paxman – Newsnight

Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight is able to challenge the guests, which is permissible partiality, so long as the audience understand this to be the case.

This is when the opportunity for the audience to form their own opinions or ‘reading’ arises.

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Plenary

Find a news report and make it biased, by adding adjectives to make it sensational

and opinionated.

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