The story behind the story
Table of contents
- Recognizing bias
Separating fact from how a story is told.
- Journalism, propaganda, advertising and information
Quality information helps you know what to trust and when to be skeptical
- Organizational bias
News providers have different priorities than their journalists
- Reporter bias
The meaning of the facts depends upon how the story is told.
- Editor bias
Understanding the decisions about what news you'll actually get to see.
- Reader bias
The lies we tell ourselves about the news.
- Source bias
There are professionals hard at work who want you to see things their way.
- Four questions
The four questions you should ask to protect yourself from bias in the news.
- Keeping up with the news
The facts aren't enough — you need to stay informed.
- Media's dirty little secrets
The truth about truth, lies and life's realities — it's not pretty out there.
There’s no way to escape bias in the news. From the moment a story is conceived, decisions are being made about what information to gather and how to present it to you. Most of those decisions are made by reporters and editors, but news sources are becoming increasingly savvy about how to get their messages across and they have become very good at manipulating news stories to encourage you to see the world in their favor.
The Story Behind The Story gives you an in-depth look at how bias enters the news. It’s packed with examples using actual news stories so you can learn to recognize bias and understand its affects on you.
In this 190-page book, you’ll learn:
- The four ways news stories can be told.
- What role the press believes it plays in society and why news consumers see it differently.
- How reporters get fooled.
- How editors determine what news we get to see.
- The dangers of manipulation by news sources.
- How reader bias affects how we understand news stories.
- The four questions you should ask about every important news story.
- How to be better informed.
- How to get the most out of “new media” and blogs.
- Some dirty secrets about media bias and how power affects coverage.
The goal of The Story Behind The Story is to teach you how bias enters the news and put you in control of the information you need. By understanding how bias creeps in, you can separate fact from context and determine what’s important to you. You will control the story.
The Story Behind The Story costs $14.95 plus $4.95 for shipping. You can order using your credit card by calling 800-291-6109.