University of Kwazulu-Natal

News Media Bias The News Literacy Project

Bonisiwe Shabane
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news media bias the news literacy project

In this activity, students cap off their Checkology learning by developing a personal code of ethics for information they seek, share and produce. In this activity, students cap off their Checkology learning by developing a personal code of ethics for information they seek, share and produce. Learn how to assess evolving stories when facts are still being confirmed in this classroom-ready activity, a supplement to The Sift newsletter. In this lesson, students develop a nuanced understanding of news media bias by learning about five types of bias and five ways it can manifest itself. In this lesson, students learn about the historical failure of mainstream news organizations to serve all people equally and the distrust this has caused. These sources have minimal bias and use very few loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes).

The reporting is factual and usually sourced. These are the most credible media sources. See all Least Biased Sources. Bias Rating: LEAST BIASED Factual Reporting: HIGH Country: USA MBFC’s Country Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE Media Type: Organization/Foundation Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY The News Literacy Project (NLP) is, as their About page states, “a nonpartisan national education nonprofit that works with educators and journalists to teach middle school and high school students how to sort fact... Read our profile on the United States government and media.

The News Literacy Project is a nonprofit that is funded through donations. Cat Murphy, a college student, has wanted to be a journalist since she was 11. Many of her friends don’t understand why. When they engage with the news — if they do — they hear a cacophony of voices. They don’t know who to believe. Reporters are biased.

They make mistakes. Besides, why would you hitch your future to a dying industry? “There is a lot of commentary — ‘Oh, good for you. Look what you’re walking into. You’re going to be screaming into the void. You’re going to be useless,’” said Murphy, a 21-year-old graduate student at the University of Maryland’s journalism school.

She is undeterred. And it’s also why she’s not surprised by the findings of a study this fall that documented negative attitudes toward the news media among 13- to 18-year-old Americans. The press rarely fares well in surveys of adults, but it’s sobering to see the same disdain among people whose opinions about the world are still forming. Asked by the News Literacy Project for one word to describe today’s news media, 84% of teens responded with something negative — “biased,” “crazy,” “boring,” “fake,” “bad,” “depressing,” “confusing,” “scary.” Former Washington Post fact-check Glenn Kessler insisted that Trump is the reason why people think the media is biased, but host Mark Halperin said this has been the case for decades. A study by the News Literary Project published in November found that American teens do not trust the media in the U.S., as 80% believe journalists fail to report information that is more unbiased...

Nearly half of American teens said journalists do "more to harm democracy than to protect it," the study found. Trust in the news media among Americans in general hit a new low in October 2025, according to a Gallup poll, as just 28% of Americans said they had a "great deal" or "fair... SEN. JOHN KENNEDY: HOW MEDIA WENT FROM 'WATCHDOG TO ATTACK DOG' OVER TRUMP AND RUSSIA COLLUSION NARRATIVE by webmaster | Feb 4, 2025 | Media Literacy | 0 comments Today, countless websites and apps share news, changing not only how we get information but also how often we receive it.

Even with more information available than ever before, this doesn’t mean we’re better informed. In addition, the prominence of opinion journalism has risen over the years and is present everywhere from newspapers, to TV news programs, to social media. Opinion journalism presents their audience with an opinion and is meant to provoke a discussion or persuade their audience. However, news journalism has a different purpose. News journalism is meant to inform the public without trying to persuade the audience one way or another. So, how do you tell the difference, and how do you ensure that the news sources you are consuming are truly meant to inform and not persuade?

Look for clues Many pieces of opinion journalism and sponsored content have clues to let us know that the article or video is meant to persuade rather than inform. Consider bias as a spectrum All news sources contain some level of bias. However, when we consider news to be on a spectrum of less biased to more biased, we can evaluate sources more effectively. Columbia College Chicago student Kailey Ryan reads a newspaper in Chicago on Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y.

Huh, File) Offei Koram watches a broadcast of a Democratic presidential debate at a bar in Atlanta, June 27, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) Pedestrians pass under a news ticker in Times Square on March 11, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) Newspapers are displayed magazine and newspaper stand, June 11, 2018, in Washington.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, FIle) A view from the control room at Spectrum News NY1 is seen during the Republican gubernatorial debate, June 20, 2022, in New York. (Brittainy Newman/Newsday via AP, Pool, File) This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. NEW YORK — Cat Murphy, a college student, has wanted to be a journalist since she was 11.

Many of her friends don’t understand why. When they engage with the news — if they do — they hear a cacophony of voices. They don’t know who to believe. Reporters are biased. They make mistakes. Besides, why would you hitch your future to a dying industry?

“There is a lot of commentary — ‘Oh, good for you. Look what you’re walking into. You’re going to be screaming into the void. You’re going to be useless,’” said Murphy, a 21-year-old graduate student at the University of Maryland’s journalism school. She is undeterred. And it’s also why she’s not surprised by the findings of a study this fall that documented negative attitudes toward the news media among Americans between the ages of 13 and 18.

The press rarely fares well in surveys of adults, but it’s sobering to see the same disdain among people whose opinions about the world are still forming. Presented by Peter Adams, Senior Vice President of Research and Design, The News Literacy Project; and Brittney Smith, Senior Manager of District Partnerships, East, The News Literacy Project Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features. People frequently perceive and allege bias in news coverage, but what does this really mean? What makes a piece of news biased, and who decides? What role do our own biases play in our perceptions of bias?

In this recorded edWebinar, we help you teach this vital, controversial, and complex topic in ways that empower students to meaningfully evaluate the fairness and impartiality of news coverage. This recorded edWebinar is of interest to middle and high school teachers, librarians, school leaders, district leaders, and education technology leaders. Peter Adams became the News Literacy Project’s Senior Vice President of Research and Design after several years as the organization’s Head of Education. He began his career as a classroom teacher in the New York City schools through Teach For America. He has also taught in the Chicago public schools, at Roosevelt University, and at Chicago City Colleges’ Wilbur Wright campus. In addition, he has worked with the NYC Teaching Fellows program, with After School Matters, and as an independent education consultant.

We provide educators in all 50 states with the resources they need to help students learn to confidently navigate the digital world. False information erodes the trust that connects us. Thanks to you, our national movement is rebuilding it. Every day, we help educators shape the next generation of resilient, independent thinkers. During the 2024-25 school year our resources were used by: With our free virtual classroom, you can help students learn to spot falsehoods, understand media bias, find reliable sources and think critically.

Lessons, activities, infographics and other resources cover misinformation, conspiratorial thinking, algorithms and more. See how it can help in the video below. StudentCornell High School, Pennsylvania

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She is undeterred. And it’s also why she’s not surprised by the findings of a study this fall that documented negative attitudes toward the news media among 13- to 18-year-old Americans. The press rarely fares well in surveys of adults, but it’s sobering to see the same disdain among people whose opinions about the world are still forming. Asked by the News Literacy Project for one word to describ...