Prejudice in the Press?

Charges of “fake news” tend to be politically motivated whether made by Republicans or Democrats. Yet the potential for media bias is real and deserves an honest assessment.
Using an audit technique—providing journalists with similar scenarios but altering key details—the authors evaluate whether reporters and editors write different narratives depending on the characteristics of the principle issues in the story. The results indicate that race, gender, sexuality and religion have little effect on whether a story will be covered, but do color the story that is written.
Data suggest that news personnel may be operating in ways that promote progressive political leanings. The results of this study are important for journalists seeking to move closer to objective standards of reporting.

George Yancey is a professor of sociology at the University of North Texas. He is the author of 15 books focusing on racism and antireligious hostility.
Alicia Brunson is an assistant professor of sociology at Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Campus. Her primary research interests are race relations, racial identity information, and media literacy.

George Yancey and Alicia L. Brunson
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 186
Bibliographic Info: appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7148-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3382-4
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Introduction 7
1. News Ideologies 23
2. Racism 48
3. Sexism 65
4. Religion 81
5. Homophobia 102
6. Where to Go from Here? 121
Appendix: Methodology and the Study of Media Bias 145
Chapter Notes 157
References 165
Index 179