Here you will find examples of past and contemporary traditional news (North, East, West, South) and their or bias-filled or bias-free news reporting. Examples of bias will be colour-coded with a legend provided for ease of use. Footnotes will be provided where I feel that explanatory footnotes are necessary and helpful.
Bias in Traditional News:
The article under discussion can be found at https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/broadcast-bias-networks-shield-nyc-socialist-mamdani-from-extreme-label-apply-conservatives
Legend
Red text: Polarization
Blue text: Stereotyping
Italics: Selective Framing
Green text: Emotional Manipulation
Liberals at the network news divisions don’t have an objective or nonpartisan vision when it comes to who in politics can be defined as extreme. When you’re a liberal, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t extreme. He’s not very far from you. He gets a wave and a smile. But from their place on the political spectrum, conservative Republicans are uniformly ultraconservative[1]. On the morning after Zohran Mamdani won the Democrat primary for mayor of New York, defeating the merely liberal[2] Andrew Cuomo, the networks could not bear to define a socialist as being a problem[3] for Democrats. But they could describe him as charming. ABC’s Aaron Katersky proclaimed on “Good Morning America” the voters made a surprise[4] choice to back a young, charismatic socialist who promises to make New York City more affordable, signaling they’re ready for a break from the past.
Note: Sometimes, even in an article that contains bias, like this one, there are specific word choices that illustrate no bias at all. Amphiism states that we should show both sides. However, since this section is on bias in the news, it seems more relevant to focus on the actual bias, and the different types. If you would like me to explore the parts of the article which display no bias, please drop a comment below!
[1] Example of polarization: The term ‘ultraconservative’ divides groups with confrontational language. There are positives and negatives to every political party. Amphiism calls to unite, not divide.
[2] Stereotyping: Applies simplistic or unfair labels. Amphiism teaches that jars should be labelled, not people.
[3] Selective Framing: Presents one perspective, while excluding all others. Amphiism suggests that we should examine all perspectives before making an informed decision or remaining neutral.
[4] Emotional Manipulation: Employs the use of emotions in order to manipulate readers. Amphiism insists that we not be duped by emotions or anything else.