This document discusses how to analyze and evaluate media sources. It begins by defining key terms like media bias, journalistic standards, and editorial perspective. It then outlines several "Trust Indicators" to consider when analyzing the quality and reliability of a source, such as best practices, author expertise, citations, methods, local sourcing, and diversity of voices. Examples are given for each trust indicator. The document aims to help readers thoughtfully evaluate sources and recognize bias through understanding these important analytical tools.

1. Analyzing
Sources
Nicole Branch
Santa Clara
University
Library
Image courtesy of Flickr user DeShaun Craddock
Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License.

2. Today we will…
• Define and recognize media bias, and editorial perspective
• Define elements to evaluate and analyze when considering media
sources
• Use Trust Indicators as a way to analyze the quality and rhetoric of a
source
Image courtesy of Flickr user Dave
Crosby.

3. Platform
Shares content
Does not produce original
content
Not responsible for
content/journalistic
practices/standards
News Outlet
Shares content
Produces content, through
individual reporters/journalists
Responsible for journalistic
practices/standards
Not all news outlets have the
same standards

4. Our media consumption
• Brainstorm media sources
• Include any you know about (like/dislike)
• Share in the chat

6. Reflection
• How was it (hard, difficult) completing this exercise?
• What kinds of things did you consider when deciding where to place
things?
• Was there anything you felt could fall into more than one category
and why?

7. Image courtesy of Flickr user Dave
Crosby.

8. Defining Terms
• Media bias
• Journalistic standards
• Editorial perspective

9. Media Bias
• Information that is unfair, unbalanced or incomplete
• Often lacks context and diversity
• May rely on stereotypes, loaded imagery, easy explanations or highly
partisan influence
• Can be intentional or as a result of poor journalistic practices

10. Speaking of journalistic standards…
Code of Ethics
• Seek the truth and report it
• Minimize harm
• Act independently
• Be accountable and transparent
⮚ Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics

11. Editorial perspective
• Every reporter, editor or publisher has a point of view.
• Transparent POV vs. hidden POV
• Types of news sources (editorials, blogs, investigative journalism)

12. Trust Indicators:
Determining validity and biases
of sources

13. • Launched in 2017
• Partner with news
companies and search
engines/social media
companies
• Developed “Trust
Indicators” based on
interviews with real
people

14. Trust Indicators
• Best Practices
• Author/Reporter Expertise
• Type of Work
• Citations and References
• Methods
• Locally Sourced
• Diverse Voices
Newspapers by Dave Crosby is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

15. Best Practices
• What are the news
outlet’s standards?
• Who funds it?
• Is there a mission
statement?
• Is there any information
about commitments to
ethics, diverse voices,
accuracy, making
corrections and other
standards?

16. Author/Reporter
Expertise
• Who wrote this?
• Can you find any
relevant details or
information about the
journalist(s), their
expertise, credentials,
other stories they have
worked on?

17. Type of Work
• What is this?
• Are there any labels to
distinguish opinion,
analysis and advertiser
(or sponsored) content
from news reports?

18. Citations and
References
• What are the sources?
• For investigative or in-
depth stories, is there
access to the sources
behind the facts and
assertions?

19. Methods
• How was this story
built?
• Also, for in-depth
stories, is there
information about why
reporters chose to
pursue a story and how
they went about the
process?

20. Locally Sourced
• Do you know when the
story has local origin or
expertise?
• Was the reporting done
on the scene, with deep
knowledge about the
local situation or
community?

21. Diverse Voices
• What are the
newsroom’s efforts and
commitment to bringing
in diverse perspectives?
• Are certain voices,
ethnicities, or political
persuasions missing?

22. Questions?
Nicole Branch
Subject Librarian
nbranch@scu.edu
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Curriculum created by Amy Sonnie,
Emily Weak, Kathleen DiGiovanni and Christine Ianieri, Oakland Public Library.