Terms like "fake news" dominate the landscape these days and many of my Shullsburg kiddos have asked what that term means-how can news be fake? Don't big news sources like MSNBC and CNN just share current events? How could bias even enter in?
News sources like those mentioned above have owners and boards made up of, PEOPLE! Said PEOPLE often have agendas and run their organizations in such a way as to either comply with or forward those agendas. Is this a good or bad thing? Honestly, it usually makes it more of a complicated thing. We as media consumers often find more appeal when our own ideas and beliefs are supported or shared. If a news source reports on stories that match our bias we often equate this source as being better than one that moves in the opposite direction. Sites such as AllSides are a wonderful resource when discussing bias in the media because it does just that-shows multiple sides of every story from a variety of sources both conservative and liberal.
Not only that, but AllSides even has a short test to see where you fall in terms of your own personal bias as well as their AllSides Dictionary which gives context to some of the most polarizing terms found in today's news and media. It's a great free resource for anyone looking to take a more balanced view of their media consumption!