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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 Facebook Whistleblower Testifying to Congress

  Last week, former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen testified to a Congressional subcommittee that the company knows how to make its platform safer and prevent the spread of misinformation, but has decided not to in order to boost its profit margins. Here are the takes of various media outlets on the situation: Tends to skew right: Fox News: Whistleblower says Facebook is a US 'national security issue' This article focuses on the reported threat to America’s security that Facebook poses, which caters to the priorities to right-wing readers by centering the United States’ and its citizens' interests. The statements made by the Facebook whistleblower to Congress are featured predominantly through the article, with her claims of Iran’s espionage and Facebook’s “understaffing of the counter-espionage information operations and counterterrorism teams” mentioned early on. It notes the “rare bipartisan fashion” of the hearings and the desire of both parties to r...

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...