Bias

How it is used

Audiences accuse outlets of bias, and editors check stories for bias. Bias can be political, commercial or unconscious, and it can appear in word choice, sources, photos and story selection. The adjective is biased.

Example sentences

1. Several readers accused the paper of bias after it quoted only one side.

2. Using words like 'admitted' instead of 'said' can make a report sound biased.

Common collocations

• media bias
• political bias
• unconscious bias
• accuse of bias
• biased reporting

Related terms

• objectivityThe principle of reporting facts as they are, without letting the journalist's own feelings, opinions or interests shape the story.
• accuracyThe quality of being correct in every fact, name, number and quote, which is the first duty of a journalist in most codes of practice.
• coverageThe way the media report an event or subject, and how much attention they give it, in print, online or on air.
• conflict of interestA situation in which a journalist's personal, financial or family interests could influence, or seem to influence, how they report a story.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• bias · Software Engineering
• bias · Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
• bias · Public Health & Epidemiology
• bias · Statistics
• bias · History

More terms: Media Ethics and Law

• press freedom
• defamation
• libel
• sensationalism
• right of reply
• public interest
• source protection
• plagiarism