Check News Source Bias With This Chart
When it comes to getting news, everyone has their preferred sources and outlets. Some people want news that reflects their own political views, while others are more concerned about the accuracy of the messages. But how do you know which media outlets cover the topic best if the articles on the topic are also produced by biased media? It can be a vicious circle. This is why this diagram can help.
Media bias chart
Back in 2016 (which was somehow just four years ago), patent attorney Vanessa Otero was alarmed by the biased information she saw people using to support their arguments on social media. Therefore, she decided to draw up a chart that will help determine where different media fall into the spectrum of political bias, as well as factual messages. Here is the most recent version:
“We have a surplus of online news sources, and most of them are in the realm of analysis and opinion,” Otero said inan interview with Newsy . “If people understood that the sources they consume actively anger and polarize them, then they could consume less.”
In the chart, the media are classified according to two factors: facts versus editorials and left-wing and right-wing views. But how exactly do you read this? “It’s a two-dimensional taxonomy, so the vertical axis is quality,” Otero explained in the same interview with Newsy. “So generally, the higher quality materials are at the top, and the lowest quality materials are at the bottom. The horizontal axis is offset, so your neutral or balanced material is in the middle. ” If you would like to learn more about the Otero methodology, there is a page on the website that will guide you through the process.
Ultimately, Otero wants her chart to look like consumer media quality reports. “I want to make news consumers smarter, and the media itself better, and both of these things are really important, but I think it’s doable,” she told Newsy. “There are people who, if they had this information, would make better choices first as consumers of the media and then as citizens.”