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About the Author

Hello everyone! My name is Kaylee. Welcome to A Balanced Take, the blog I am keeping for my POLS 3380 Mass Media & Politics course during the Fall 2021 semester. The goal of this blog is to point out partisan bias that occurs in the media when reporting on major news events, then use the judgements uncovered in their reporting to craft an unbiased, fact-driven analysis of the news story. I hope to draw attention to the impact that the media sources we consume have on our political views with the intention of encouraging all of us to be more mindful of where we get our news.

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On the US Lifting Restrictions on International Travelers

  This week, restrictions on travelers entering the US that have been in place since the beginning of the pandemic were lifted. Reactions have ranged from joy to disapproval. Here is how some major media outlets covered the news: Tends to skew right: Breitbart: Tears, relief, long lines as US reopens borders after 20 months This article’s headline emphasizes the duration of the border shutdown and the emotional impact on those who were stuck or had family stuck overseas. It is not politically biased though, mentioning that Trump imposed the bans in 2020 and that they have been upheld by Biden until this point. One aspect that makes this article worthwhile is the original reporting it includes. It features quotes from people who reunited with their family at airports around the US, specifically JFK and Dulles airports. This made for an effective exploration of the issue this article covers. Overall, the tone of this article was much more positive than past articles I’ve read from t...

On Colin Powell's Death

  On Monday, it was announced that four-star general and former secretary of state Colin Powell died at age 84 due to complications from COVID-19. He was fully vaccinated. Here is how a selection of media outlets covered his death. Tends to skew right: Fox News: Remembering Colin Powell upon his death: Former President Bush calls him 'a great public servant' This headline is interesting in that it informs the reader that Colin Powell has died, but uses a comment from former President Bush to characterize Powell rather than simply stating that he was a general or former secretary of state. As two significant figures of the Republican party, putting Bush’s name in the headline with Powell’s was likely done on purpose to attract more readers. The article itself opens with President Bush’s quote that Powell was a highly respected man, using the credibility of Bush to vouch for the credibility of Powell. The author describes Powell as a “trailblazer” and includes statements of memor...

On the House Censoring Rep. Gosar

  This week, House members voted to censure Arizona Representative Paul Gosar for a violent video he posted to Twitter. Here is how a few mass media outlets covered the story: Leans toward the right: Breitbart: Cheney, Kinzinger Vote to Remove Paul Gosar from Committee Assignments A major thing that stands out about this headline is that it is not very clear. It never explains who Paul Gosar is or why he is being censured. Instead, it focuses on how two House Republicans voted in favor of removing Gosar from his committee assignments, and based on the content of the article this is because the author considers their actions a betrayal of their fellow Republican. The article even characterizes Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger as “so-called Republicans.” If you ask me, this is a fairly rude way to refer to members of Congress, especially when the article’s argument is that they disrespected another member of Congress. Additionally, in describing the situation, the article only me...