Picture your main social feed without checking your phone. Would the classmate beside you see the same posts about sport or politics, or a totally different set?
There are three bias flavours, or kinds of bias.
News bias is when a news story uses loaded words or leaves out facts.
Social media bias is when a post pushes one side or hides that it's an ad.
Algorithmic bias is when apps show you more of what you watch, not the full picture.
Framing is what a story puts first and what it leaves out.
Two papers report the same GAA match. One says "heroic comeback" and the other says "defensive collapse".
Here are three short reports about the same council vote. One is like a broadsheet, one is like a tabloid and one is a one-sided social post.
Report 1 (broadsheet)
Council approves 40 new social homes. Councillors voted 12 to 8 on Monday to build 40 social homes on the old mart site. The council said its budget allows for 40 homes this year. There are 1,200 households on the local waiting list. Some residents near the site objected because of extra traffic.
Report 2 (tabloid)
HOUSING FURY! Residents are FURIOUS after councillors rammed through a plan to cram 40 homes onto the old mart site. "They never listened to us," said one angry neighbour. Locals fear traffic chaos.
Report 3 (social post)
Finally! 40 new homes for families who've waited YEARS. Only the usual moaners are against it. Share if you back real housing! #HousingNow
Then tell a partner one clear difference between two of the reports.
Place your marker on each statement. There is no right answer. Be ready to say why you stood there, using one of the three bias flavours: news bias, social media bias or algorithmic bias.
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