Stakeholders 2 — Analysing stakeholder biases
- Stakeholder
- An employee, investor, customer, etc. who is involved in or buys from a business and has an interest in its success. Cambridge Dictionary
- Bias
- The action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, because of allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment. Cambridge Dictionary
Media messages are not created in a vacuum; they are shaped by various stakeholders (individuals, groups, or organizations) with specific interests and goals.
Moreover, the media we choose to consume, whether by choosing to watch one YouTube video on a certain topic over another or gravitating towards certain news outlets over others, often reveals our own biases.
Lesson goals
- Learning about stakeholders involved in the content of a media item, its production and distribution, and reception.
- Learning to check for and recognize biases in reporting and media consumption.
Activities
Theory (10 minutes) - Teacher-centered
Present the theory to students and encourage them to share examples.
Aim: students understand the concept of conscious and unconscious biases, their presence in media production, distribution, and consumption, and the key types of bias present in media.
Exercise (20 minutes) - Groups of up to 5 students
Each group analyses a different article about the same news story, identifying the relevant stakeholders and using the handout (list of bias types in media) to help.
Aim: students practice identifying stakeholders and detecting potential biases in media.
Presenting (15 minutes) - Class
Have each group present their key findings. To ensure students understand how to detect and analyse bias in media, turn the list of bias types into a discussion on actions they can take to detect and analyse bias.
Aim: students will realise that the analytical steps they took during the exercise can be applied in their everyday lives.
Discussion (10 minutes) - Class
Moderate the discussion about the students’ experience and conclusions.
Aim: students have the opportunity to express their views and clear up any misunderstandings.
Discussion questions (optional) - Class
Discuss the discussion questions with the students
Aim: students reflect on the topic.
Keywords
Pedagogical tips and recommendations
- You can easily vary the level of difficulty of this lesson by assigning more or less challenging articles for the students to work on.
- The article (or other media form) should not require a Ph.D. level of understanding of the topic, but it should be challenging - this mirrors the challenges our media environment poses for all of us, including students.
- This lesson plan lists several resources for students’ analyses, all of which are in English. To use media items in your local language, translate the textual resources using Google Translate or DeepL, or use the logic outlined in the exercise to find different news items in your local language reflecting different positions about the chosen issues and reflecting the variety of information sources students can encounter.
Theory (10 minutes)
In this lesson, we tackle the idea of bias - the action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, because of allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment. We differentiate between
- Conscious bias, also known as explicit bias, which refers to the deliberate and conscious attitudes, beliefs, stereotypes, or preferences, and
- Unconscious bias, also known as implicit bias, which refers to the automatic and unconscious attitudes, beliefs, stereotypes, or preferences.
It's important to understand that bias is a natural part of human communication, but it can become problematic if it distorts the accuracy or fairness of our behaviour, even news reporting. It is also important to understand that, while some biases influence the content and distribution (for example, through targeted advertising) of media, other biases are our own and sway us in the direction of engaging with some media items or outlets over others.
In the context of media, bias refers to a tendency or preference for certain viewpoints, ideas, or perspectives over others, often influencing how information is presented and interpreted. This bias can stem from the personal beliefs, values, experiences, or ideologies of the people or organisations involved in creating media.
Discuss the following breakdown of the key ways bias can manifest in media with the class. Invite students to share examples for any of the categories mentioned:
- Selection bias occurs when certain stories or viewpoints are chosen to be covered while others are ignored or downplayed. This can create an imbalance in the coverage of different issues.
- Word choice and language used in reporting can carry a certain tone or connotation that influences how readers perceive the information. For example, using emotionally charged language can sway readers' opinions.
- Omission of information refers to situations where important details or context are left out, leading to a skewed understanding of an issue. This can create a one-sided or incomplete view of a story.
- Source bias happens when relying heavily on specific sources that share a particular perspective can lead to a narrow viewpoint in news coverage. Diversity in sources is important to present a more well-rounded picture.
- Framing bias, or how a story is framed or presented, can influence how readers interpret it. Different angles or emphases can lead to varying conclusions about the same set of facts.
- Confirmation bias occurs when media consumers are drawn to sources that align with their existing beliefs, reinforcing their opinions and potentially excluding differing viewpoints.
- Political bias occurs when media outlets might have a (more or less) clear political leaning, which can affect the way they cover news and the emphasis they give to different stories.
- Commercial bias can be present in cases where media organizations might have financial interests in certain industries or companies, leading to biased reporting that favors those interests.
Exercise (20 minutes)
Divide the students into groups of (ideally) up to 5 students per group and distribute different media items about the same news story. Each media item should represent a different view on the same news story and, ideally, come from different types of sources - for example, state-owned or subsidized media in different countries, privately owned news outlets of different repute, such as a traditional newspaper, a tabloid, or a politically charged media outlet, and/or a popular podcast. If needed, more than one group can work on the same media item.
Each group should get access to the following (either online* or as a printout):
- A relevant news item (article, podcast, video)
- A handout containing the list of the key types of bias in media
*It is best to let the students use the internet during this exercise. This will allow them to research the sources they are analyzing.
Let the students analyse the media items for 20 minutes at the most. During that time, walk around the class and help any struggling groups.
For example, we will focus on the same topic addressed by news story we discussed in the previous lesson plan (Stakeholders 1 - Identifying stakeholders in media) - the European Commission’s ban of TikTok from staff work devices in June 2023. You can find several resources taking different approaches to the question of banning TikTok below.
Politico.com - Opinion: The Extraordinarily Misguided Attack on TikTok - an opinion piece against banning TikTok in the US
Noahpinion.blog - Yes, of course we should ban TikTok - a Substack blog post supporting the ban
South China Morning Post - European Commission bans staff from using TikTok on work devices - a report on the EC TikTok ban by a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper
South China Morning Post - For some, TikTok is a path to riches and the American dream. With a ban, it could all disappear - a financial angle on the issue
Vanity Fair - What We Lose If We Actually Ban TikTok - an interview with the TikTok researcher Marcus Bösch
YouTube - Reuters: TikTok creators react to bill that could ban site - a YouTube video presenting some TikTok content creator reactions to the possible ban (2:14 min)
Politico.eu - MEPs cling to TikTok for Gen Z votes - an article on members of the European Parliament (MEPs) using TikTok despite the institutional ban
The New York Times - What Students Are Saying About Banning TikTok - a NYT overview of some students’ attitudes and comments on the matter
Euronews.com - Which countries have banned TikTok and why? - an overview of TikTok bans up to April 4th, 2023
Presenting (15 minutes)
After the exercise, have each group briefly present their key findings to the class. Each group can present for 60 seconds at most (use a timer). After reading the different articles on the topic, they should have very different reports and even opinions on the matter.
Discuss the following tips for navigating media with the students:
- Consume diverse sources - get information from a variety of sources with different perspectives. This can help you see the whole picture and make informed judgments.
- Be critical - question the information you come across. Consider the source's potential bias and evaluate the evidence presented.
- Check facts - fact-checking is crucial. Verify information from multiple reliable sources before accepting it as true.
- Seek context - look for additional information and context to understand the broader implications of a news story.
- Understand media outlets - learn about the reputation and leanings of media organizations to recognize potential bias.
- Evaluate language - pay attention to language choices. Be cautious of emotionally charged or sensationalist language.
Discussion questions (optional)
- Which of the groups presented the most neutral overview of the issue? Which seemed the most biased?
- What are the most dangerous biases you identified? What could be the consequences of this biased reporting?
- What is your opinion on the matter? Do you feel it was represented in any of the reports?
- Did you learn anything new about the issue?