For your assignment this week, I want you to look at the websites of the news outlets with different “leanings” and compare the coverage. You will pick a news outlet from each of the following three lists. If you have trouble seeing any of the news due to a paywall, go to a different news medium from that category. I want you to look around each news site a bit, skim some different articles, and then also find a topic that is covered on all three news medium sites to pay attention to and read more in depth. You will then answer some questions with specific examples based on your findings.
Left-ish
- The New York Times
- CNN
- The Atlantic
- Bloomberg
- MSNBC
Center-ish
- Reuters
- AP
- ABC News
- The Wall Street Journal
- Newsweek
Right-ish
- Fox News
- The Daily Wire
- Newsmax
- Washington Examinder
- New York Post
For transparency: If you are wondering how I put together these lists, I based them off this chart – https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-chartLinks to an external site.
1. Which of the above news outlets did you look at? (Picking media outlets from different categories worth 10 points)
2. First, let’s talk agenda setting. (Worth 15 points)
A. For each news outlet, which topics and articles seemed to be promoted the most or covered with more importance/frequency?
B. Did this vary between news outlets, and what did you make of these differences? Explain and be specific.
C. Based of all three outlets, what are some topics that you felt had more importance / need-to-know value? Why?
3. Next, we’ll discuss framing. Pick one topic that is covered by all three outlets. (There should be several options, but an easy one might be the vice presidential debate). How did you see the topic framed in different manners? Please be specific in your answer and give examples. (Worth 15 points)
4. Did you see any examples of the “watch dog” function in any of the media outlets? Explain. (Worth 10 points)
5. What did this assignment, and your own experience with getting news, teach you about media fragmentation? (Worth 5 points)
6. Did you notice any instances of “echo chambers” in this assignment? (Worth 5 points)
7. Reflect on this experience. What are some final takeaways you had as well as anything you may have learned? (Worth 5 points)