You already know when a post is pushing you. A headline can make the same fact feel calm or urgent. Today you will read three short coverages of one invented local story, spot how each one frames it, then judge one real story in three Irish outlets on a Bias and Balance Sheet for your Communication Portfolio.
Here are four terms you will use all lesson. After that comes one invented local vote; you read three short takes on it next.
| Term | What it means for you | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bias | Selection, wording, or missing voices steer you toward one side | A story on a bus route cut that quotes only angry passengers |
| Balance | More than one side gets fair space so you can weigh the evidence | A report that gives the bus company and the passengers a fair say |
| Editorial | Written to argue a view, not map the full facts | A column telling readers to sign a petition to save the route |
| Framing | Choices that steer how a story lands: lead, voices, words | The same timetable change called a shake-up in one piece and a cutback in another |
The event (invented for class): Glenmore Town Council voted to charge €2 per hour at the leisure centre car park from 1 April. Glenmore is a real place name; the council, the vote, the quotes and the named people are invented for this lesson.
Same facts will appear in three coverages. Different jobs. You will judge who gets quoted, which words lean, and what each piece puts first.
Mark framing in Coverage C with the four labels. Those labels are the yardstick for A, B and C next. This page is practice only. Do not put it in the Portfolio.
Read all three coverages below, then answer the three questions under them: one short note on each criterion (voices, language, what it puts first, the other side) for Coverage A, B and C. For C, use your marks from the last step; do not start again. Your answers save as you type. Next you use the same four criteria on real news.
Now use the same four criteria on real news. Pick one news story from this week and find it in three Irish outlets you read, watch or listen to: a news website, a newspaper, or a radio or TV news page. For each outlet, note its name, the date and the headline, then your framing notes (voices, language, what it puts first, the other side) and an overall assessment: bias or balance, and why. Finish with your verdict: which outlet best served a reader who wants to decide for themselves?
Write your Bias and Balance Sheet in the box below and save it in your Communication Portfolio as m3_l64_bias_balance_<your-initials>. If rating them helps you decide, add your three outlets to the comparator; its scores are not saved.
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