ABSTRACT
Examining the individual level of news analysis, the chapter unpacks the factors commonly associated with news bias, in particular, the liberal attitudes of American journalists. After introducing Shoemaker and Reese’s classic gatekeeping model and discussing demographic sources of historic news bias, the chapter examines the liberal bias thesis, uncovering some supportive examples, but, in the main, systematically debunking the popular meme. The chapter extends the discussion by describing ways individual-level reporter factors operate in the social media realm, particularly on Twitter.
