[Media-watch] moving on/ detecting bias

[david Miller]

Dear all,

we had a small meeting last night to discuss moving the media watch idea on.  We agreed to plan an extended meeting with a video showing on media and propaganda in war and possibly a couple of speakers (including one or two journalists), followed by a workshop on how to identify bias and how to complain. Anyone who can help with this, please get in touch.

Below is a list of (US) resources on detecting bias.  I will circulate more as I come across them.  In other emails I will circulate a list of contact details for the Scottish media.  We decided that an immediate priority was to produce a laminated media watch card with emails and phone numbers for the main Scottish and UK news outlets so that people can complain whenever they get annoyed by the latest piece of spin/distortion.

The media are in a quandary just now, because they can see that there is massive opposition to the war, but the political establishment is so out of kilter.  They are so used to speaking to 'experts' and political leaders that they haven't got much of an idea about how to cover mass dissent.  In this climate it is all the more important that as many people as possible complain about distortions and omissions.

Let's try and use this list as a means of encouraging people to complain for themselves....

I will be in touch again soon.

David


Detecting bias in the news:

How to Detect Bias in the News
http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/med/class/teamedia/peace/bias7.htm

Detecting Bias in the News
http://faculty.washington.edu/~jalbano/bias.html
 
Recognising bias and distortion in television news programs
http://hsc.csu.edu.au/pta/scansw/bias.htm
 
The Media Bias Detector (adapted from the book Unreliable Sources: A Guide to Detecting Bias in the News) http://www.adamranson.freeserve.co.uk/fair%20media%20bias%20detector%20.PDF

 FAIR¹s Media Activism Kit http://www.fair.org/activism/activismkit.html
  
Citizens and the Media: Fact, Opinion, Bias http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/education/teachers/strategies/1998/Plan33e.htm
 
Topic: September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon Deconstructing Images From the Media http://www.mit.edu/cms/reconstructions/education/audiofoot.html

Topic: The Gulf War A Lesson in Media Literacy http://www.newsworld.cbc.ca/flashback/1991/gulfclass.html