Newspaper Bias

"Complaints that the British press has a right-wing bias have long been made by left-wingers – but is this a state of affairs the public recognizes?" 

This statement was part of an article originally published by the times. They reported that Owen Jones, a British columnist, political commentator, and left-wing political activist described UK press as “largely run by a very small group of very right-wing media moguls who defend the status quo of which they are part. If you are on the Left and want to change society, the media will always come and get you”. The following table from YouGov shows that out of the eight newspapers shown, five of them are predominantly right wing which further suggests that Jones's description is correct.

Although not all bias is deliberate, the following features of media are features that journalists may use to create a bias view. 

 –Bias through selection and omission

 –Bias through placement

 –Bias by headline

 –Bias by photos, captions and camera angles

 –Bias through use of names and titles

 –Bias through statistics and crowd counts

 –Bias by source control

 –Word choice and tone

Bias Through selection and omission

Editors and journalists can create a bias by choosing to ignore certain bits of information (omission) or by selecting certain bits to be shown. This crafted bit of story crafts the audience's view of the story which creates bias in the reader as well

Bias Through Placement

Editors and journalists may further select certain stories to be shown in different places of the newspaper. Radio and Television do this so that stories lead in order of significance (more important first) The order may be led by the political leading of the company which will influence what the audience believes is more significant too. 

Bias Through Headline

Audiences will often let the headline take priority (like the front cover) so editors will summarize views as well as presenting hidden bias and prejudice. 

Bias by Photos, captions and camera angles

Some photos are specifically chosen to flatter people or to make someone look unpleasant. This can influence the audiences opinion of the person to lean towards the media's view creating bias.

Bias by through names and titles

News media often uses labels and titles to describe people, places and events. Labels such as 'ex-con', 'freedom fighter' and 'terrorists' create a personality bias for the person -like selection and omission there are aspects being left out.

Bias through statistics and crowd counts

Sources can often omit certain statistics or often exaggerate others. Sources may also somewhat create false information e.g 'experts' say...