ABSTRACT

Journalists go out of their way to avoid purposeful bias in the news. But there is a more pervasive set of internal biases and flaws in thinking that can lead to unintentional inaccuracies and distortions in news coverage. This engaging book offers a fresh take on reporting without bias, targeting the way that we categorize people, filter information and default to rehearsed ways of thinking.

Included throughout are stories and on-target advice from reporters and editors, providing real-world voices and experiences. This advice and guidance is coupled with practical exercises that give readers the chance to apply what they learn.

Overcoming Bias will teach readers to edit their thinking for habitual errors, making them more perceptive journalists. It provides a career-long foundation for challenging bias.

This is an ideal text for a course on multi-cultural reporting or journalism ethics; it may also be used as a supplement in any course on reporting and writing, as each chapter deals with potential biases that emerge at each stage of the story process, from story ideas to editing.

chapter 1|16 pages

Context, Culture and Cognition

Making the case for reflective practice in journalism

chapter 2|16 pages

Habits of Thought

How cognitive processes influence journalistic practice

chapter 3|18 pages

Encountering the News

How the mind organizes and interprets information—and how story ideas get lost in the process

chapter 4|22 pages

Story Without Stereotype

How stereotypes may infl uence reporting in stealthy ways—and what to do about it

chapter 5|21 pages

Understanding Culture, Understanding Sources

How social groups serve as lenses for looking at the world

chapter 6|19 pages

Training the Reporter’s Eye

What gets journalists’ attention can influence how they portray events and explain behaviors

chapter 7|18 pages

Critical Decisions Before Deadline

Why even experienced journalists neglect certain facts and what to do about it

chapter 8|20 pages

The Power of Words and Tone

When words can suggest unintended meanings

chapter 9|18 pages

Attribution and Editing Without Bias

When to include data and how to determine cause

chapter 10|18 pages

Journalism and Reflective Practice

Making the case for reflective practice in journalism