Social media platforms are full of people who complain “the media is biased” against whatever side they support.
When my students repeat this claim, I ask them to supply an example. They usually point to a meme that supplies a biased headline to a real news story. The story itself is fine, but the text in the meme makes it look like a wildly inaccurate or unfair statement from “the media.” Or the source of the story is an editorial published by a news organization. If the person isn’t claiming to be an unbiased news reporter, columnists and reviewers and commentators are doing nothing wrong by sharing an opinion (even if you disagree with it).
Here’s an example of what really happens when a journalist displays an unfair bias.
If you don’t like the Patriots, this graphic is funny.
If you’re in charge of protecting the journalistic integrity of KDKA-TV, you probably have a different opinion.
The higher-ups at Pittsburgh’s CBS affiliate didn’t find Monday afternoon’s graphic taking a shot at Tom Brady as funny as Patriots haters did.
The employee responsible for the graphic is no longer employed by the station, a spokesperson told SI.com.
The chyron in question ran during KDKA’s 4 o’clock news and identified Brady, who was memorably suspended by the NFL for his role in the Deflategate scandal, as a “known cheater.” —Pittsburgh TV Station Fires Employee Responsible for Tom Brady ‘Known Cheater’ Graphic
