A Balanced Take

Following Thursday's ISIS-K terrorist attack outside of the Kabul airport, the US launched an airstrike against a target that reportedly perpetrated the attack. Here is how a few mass media outlets covered the story, organized by the typical political orientation assigned to them by the  Ad Fontes  &  AllSides Media Bias  charts. Tends to skew right: Fox News: “Pentagon says two ‘high-profile’ ISIS-K terrorists killed by US airstrike; another wounded”  This article includes a detailed headline that quickly communicates important points of the story. In comparison to the similar CNN headline discussed later, this headline does a better job of informing the reader. The inclusion of "high-profile" implies that the strike was significant, which is a framing choice that conveys the strength of the US response. Content-wise, the article cut straight to the point. It provides background about the Kabul terrorist attack in the first paragraph, then moves to statemen...

  On Friday, August 20th, Biden addressed the nation and took questions from the press about the Afghanistan evacuation efforts. Here are some of the stories about it from mass media outlets, organized by the typical political orientation assigned to them by the Ad Fontes & AllSides Media Bias charts. Tends to skew right: Breitbart: “Bumbling Contradiction: Joe Biden Promises Every American in Afghanistan Will Get Home but Cannot Guarantee Safety” This article shows bias right in the headline as it characterizes Biden's actions negatively before even stating its topic. The reader's judgment is further influenced by the article's photo, which shows Biden looking remorseful. The article itself highlights the uncertainty surrounding the Afghanistan evacuation, using language like "tried to reassure" and "admitted that he could not guarantee,,,success." This is not at all a dishonest or inaccurate take, but it is a particular framing choice that has t...

Welcome everyone! Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm excited to read your blog posts, and I hope you enjoy mine.  This blog is called A Balanced Take because I plan to analyze the coverage of major global news sources for partisan leanings, then use what I have uncovered to craft my own summary of the news event that is as neutral and fact-based as possible. Essentially, each post will be a comparison of articles published by a few major media organizations on the same news story. I will use the Ad Fontes Media Bias chart & AllSides Media Bias Chart to give myself a starting point for sources that might display a skew toward right or left wing coverage. My goal is to choose widely-read sources, including some that tend to skew toward a certain side of the political spectrum, thus encapsulating the varied perspectives of the mass media system. Within my analysis, I will also feature sources that are providing a more neutral view of the story. Ultimately, I hope to demonstrate the...