Introduction How to Use This Book 1 . Understanding Media Bias Q1. What does it mean to be biased Q2. How prevalent is political bias in major media outlets? Q3. Is bias always a bad thing for consumers of news and information? Q4. Why have many media outlets seemed to grow increasingly biased over recent years? Q5. What is a so-called 'bias of omission'? Q6. When is there a difference between bias and things like disinformation or propaganda? Q7.
Is there any way to measure the accuracy or fairness of news? 2. Mass Media, Politics, & Culture Q8. How did the development of mass media impact American politics? Q9. How did the development of the so-called 'adversarial press' shape perceptions of bias? Q10. How did the corporatization of media change the ways in which news and information are disseminated? Q11. Is media bias responsible for today's extreme political polarization? Q12. Are there differing levels of bias in different types of media (i.e.
, print vs. TV vs. online)? 3 . Opinions and Editorialization Q13. What is the importance of op-ed pieces in newspaper outlets? Q14. How important is it when media outlets endorse partisan candidates running for office? Q15. How carefully do media outlets distinguish between facts and opinions in their content? Q16. Who decides which news events and stories receive the most attention? Q17.
What is fake news? 4 . Considering Liberal Bias Q18. Is the frequent conservative charge of liberal media bias in mainstream news accurate? Q19. Do cable news stations like CNN and MSNBC and newspapers like the Washington Post and New York Times display a consistent liberal bias? Q20. How have liberal conspiracy theories tainted the presentation of news? Q21. Is there liberal bias built into the algorithms used by giant tech firms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google? 5 . Considering Conservative Bias Q22. What explains the dominance of FOX News Channel on cable TV? Q23.
How biased are newspapers like the Wall Street Journal or New York Post? Q24. How have conservative conspiracy theories tainted the presentation of news? Q25. How influential have far right or alt-right media outlets been vis-à-vis talk radio, podcasts, and various online forums? 6 . Governance, Regulations, and Reforms Q26. Why do some countries have a state-run media? Q27. What is the job of the FCC in terms of censorship? Q28. What is the so-called "fairness doctrine"? Q29. What is the rationale behind calling for the social media giants to be regulated and/ or broken up? Q30.
How does "Section 230" offer protections for media companies? Q31. What can consumers of news do to help foster competent and balanced presentations of News in the future? Index About the Author.