Representation and Bias

• Remember – the news is mediated and selective – it is not reality

• How is the world/groups of people/issues represented?

• Selection bias – what stories make/don’t make the news?

• Concision bias – preference for reporting stories that can be condensed and made simple

• Mainstream bias – preference for stories everyone else is reporting

• Sensationalism bias – preference for stories that are dramatic or unusual

• Presentation bias – presenting stories while favouring one version or interpretation

• Location bias – stories about ‘us’ – the white middle classes – and not about ‘them’

• Biases are often shown in the angle the reporter or programme takes

• The biases can make the world seem a dangerous place with the emphasis on crime, terrorism or conflict

• Repeated representations of groups/types of people can lead to stereotypes or one-sided views of issues or event

• Representations can also be constructed by the way the presenter introduces the story, the way the voice-over describes the images; the way visuals or graphics are used; the way studio experts are selected and are brought in to give their opinion

• Bias is NOT supposed to happen – news bulletins and reporters, especially public service broadcasters (PSBs are supposed to present balanced views

• Ofcom has regulations about impartial and balanced reporting – especially important in an election year.

• Biases and gatekeeping can be challenged by User generated Content, audience gatekeeping and citizen journalism – where the audience members become producers and challenge mainstream views and values – but who’s to say they won’t be biased too?

• Sometimes, the issue appears to be subjective. For instance, the BBC has been criticised for being left wing by those on the political right and right wing by those on the left

• The cultivation theory suggest that the more time someone spends watching TV, the more they believe the version of the world it promotes

• The desensitisation theory implies that the audience gets used to seeing extreme images of violence and suffering and they can only be shocked by stories that are more extreme

• Moral panic – widespread anxiety or concern can be caused by over-reporting of a social issues, like immigration and benefit fraud, or stories about crime and terrorism – can be caused by repeated negative stories