Assignment:

Compare and contrast the differences in bias and handling of the same incident or newsworthy story by different media outlets. Look up at least two different media outlets on the Internet. Find a big controversial story that is covered by both outlets. Print out those stories and read them carefully. Write a compare and contrast essay covering these points:

• What is the difference in the headlines?
• What is the tone of each article?
• What appears to the bias of the author in each article? ( Whose side is he on?) List examples of particular words that show the bias.
• How do the articles agree on basic facts? How do they disagree? State explicit examples.
• Rate each article's objectivity. Is it relatively unbiased, somewhat biased, or very biased?

How to do it:

Look for a good story that is covered by more than one magazine or newspaper.

Look for a good article on the homepage of each site. Scan the material carefully to see if the information is relevant and is talked about on at least three sites. If so, write down the URL address (it should be in the "Location" box above the buttons), and press the "Print" button and have the computer print the first few pages of the Internet site.

Write your essay answering the above questions using Microsoft Word on the Applications page. It should be about a page in length. Put your name on the paper and turn it in to Mr.Doyle.

You don't have to get the information from the internet. You may use two current articles from printed newspapers or magazines.

Back to the top of the page.