Bias & Fairness: A Checklist
If this story was about me or a close friend would I think it was fair?
Have I considered whether the facts might lead to a different less provocative conclusion?
Have I acknowledge that?
Have I kept an open mind, but not so open that my brain fell out?
Could I look the subject of the story in the eye and say this is a fair and accurate portrayal?
Is there a "villain" who is all bad, and a "victim" who is all good? Could the truth be in between?
Know Your Sources: Are you using reliable sources or selective sourcing?
• Who are your sources?
• Do they have a public vision or POV?
• Where does their money come from?
• Who’s on the board?
• What’s the source of their information/data?
• If they have a point of view, have you disclosed that?
• Using sources
• Primary sources – talk to them first hand
• Cite directly in copy or graphics and, whenever possible, link to sourced materials directly (this also helps with SEO)
• Complete reporting
• If your primary sources have a POV, have you looked for impartial data that corroborates what they’re saying? Are there reputable sources who would dispute their information/data?
• You make your story and your lead stronger if your argument stands up to scrutiny, even by those who would be your loudest critics
Language: Does your language reveal bias without backup?
• Consider how the language you choose affects the end impression that a viewer or user will take away from your piece
• Are you relying on colorful adjectives and adverbs to punch up your story, rather than relying on facts?
Selective or manipulative editing
• Are you staying true to the original context of the quote, response, point the subject was making?
• Do your edits or selections leave the open the possibility of misinterpretation?
Does headline fairly represent the point of your story?
• Many times, your audience won’t get beyond your headline, so you want that to represent the truth when it stands alone
• When they do get beyond the headline, does your headline accurately represent what you actually ended up with in your story, not what you THOUGHT your story was going to be about when you started?
Story selection and placement
• Are you or your organization selecting stories that fit a narrative or selecting the stories that need to be told?
• This last checkpoint – the question of story selection and placement - is perhaps the most insidious because you may very well be unable to find overt examples of bias within a story or a headline itself, but the decision NOT to cover something or NOT to place it on the front page can be as influential as what IS covered. I encourage you all to keep that in mind when you’re following various news sources.
