[Media-watch] moving on/ detecting bias

[Darren Smith {Psych}]

 I was wondering whether we could have media campaign themes, or issues,
that we could get others new to media activism to get involved with. I.e.,
what simple changes to the media could we collectively campaign for, and
make it easy for others new to this to get involved?

E.g., maybe we could start a campaign to get Newsnight or some other regular
interview show to get prominent left wingers on TV. Maybe we could campaign
for investigations on special issues etc. It would then be easy to write up
a web page or pamphet about such a campaign, and then suggest example
letters that could be written, and to whom they should be sent, etc.

Just a thought.

Darren

-----Original Message-----
From: david Miller
To: media-watch at lists.stir.ac.uk
Sent: 21/02/2003 10:25
Subject: [Media-watch] moving on/ detecting bias

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/19
98/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