Author Topic: Website editorial bias reflected in thumbnails and photos  (Read 3363 times)

rcjordan

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Website editorial bias reflected in thumbnails and photos
« on: November 28, 2017, 01:30:25 PM »
It's easiest to see in news sites covering highly polarized issues like politics or sexual harassment when their articles get picked up by G News.  Often the snippet's thumbnail tends to reflect the left- or right-leaning editorial views of the host site.  Take a look, for instance, at how Al Franken's captured facial expressions are generally soft, even remorseful, while Roy Moore's are belligerent or combative.

Travoli

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Re: Website editorial bias reflected in thumbnails and photos
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2017, 04:43:37 PM »
Matt Drudge is the king of this. Photos and headlines.

rcjordan

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Re: Website editorial bias reflected in thumbnails and photos
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2017, 04:58:39 PM »
>Photos and headlines

When I anticipate a bias I sort of expect that the lead photo AND its related headline to be in sync and supporting the bias.  What I think I'm seeing, though, is more subtle; the headline is matter-of-fact and more or less running along with the developing public opinion on the subject. However, the thumbnail or the lead photo seems to be hand-picked to influence subliminally. It acts to defuse or dampen the headline.

I like Al Franken as a senator (didn't care much for him on SNL) and I'd hate to see him go, but there's no doubt in my mind that he's getting special treatment from centrist-left media.

ergophobe

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Re: Website editorial bias reflected in thumbnails and photos
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2017, 10:31:03 PM »
<highhorse class="up>
Quote
Roy Moore's are belligerent or combative

I think this is even more true with Trump and it has started to really make it hard for me to read WaPo and other center-left media. I don't think even Nixon was portrayed as unflatteringly as Trump has been. I think they are doing a terrible disservice to their readers.

I'm saying this as a guy who detests Trump and everything he stands for. But I would like to see him treated fairly. In my opinion, a fair accounting of his record is bad enough, without always choosing pictures that make him look like a screaming demagogue (even though I personally believe he *is* a screaming demagogue, I don't think it helps the cause of civil society to portray him that way in every WaPo article and Time cover). I can't even read their Trump coverage anymore and I fundamentally agree with them. That's how bad it is.

The way the right wing media portrayed Obama was inexcusable ("jungle bunny" imagery and all manner of racist portrayals). The progressive media rightly decried this as horrid. Sadly, though, they don't seem to apply the same standard to people they dislike.

no doubt in my mind that he's getting special treatment from centrist-left media.

Moment of truth. Let's see what happens. I actually agree with him - don't resign, let the Ethics Committee investigate and decide on punishment. But the same rules should apply to Roy Moore.

Progressives have been up in arms about Republicans saying Moore should be kicked out of the Senate *if* the allegations are true. It is seen as some sort of pandering to sexual predators to add that qualification. I do understand the history - that qualification has protected powerful men for years.

At the same time, due process is a fundamental pillar of a society governed by the rule of law.

I also detest Roy Moore and everything he stands for and have felt that way long before he decided to run for senator, but I would rather see a guilty man I hate get away with a crime than see the fundamental principles of rule of law eroded. This, to me, is part of what it means to be a progressive and a civil libertarian and why I find it troubling to see so-called progressives wanting to deny due process to Moore. And even worse, deny it to Moore and offer it to Franken.

The challenge of living in a society that governs by the rule of law is applying the same rules to the people you like and the people you detest. This bedrock principle is the firewall against dictatorship, and in the long run, progressives and conservatives will come to regret eroding that firewall in order to push their short-term agenda.
<highhorse class="down">

Sorry about getting up on my high horse. I went back and forth on deleting this post and finally decided to post it. I do think we're really going to miss the rule of law and due process when they're gone. Apologies if I have offended. I know these are really "hot" issues right now and this is just my opinion. I don't mean to demean anyone else's opinion. It's just a bit of a hot-button issue for me
« Last Edit: November 28, 2017, 10:34:13 PM by ergophobe »

martinibuster

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Re: Website editorial bias reflected in thumbnails and photos
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2018, 07:57:25 PM »
Washington Post pics seem to be normal for Roy Moore.

ergophobe

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Re: Website editorial bias reflected in thumbnails and photos
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2018, 08:59:47 PM »
I was referring to the editorial choice of photos for Trump in the Washington Post.

I think all of this has attenuated somewhat. The trump site:washingtonpost.com image search isn't too bad anymore.

Again, the previous image searches perfectly matched how I personally feel about our president, which is why I find them dangerous for me. It encourages my bias and promotes groupthink.

But in general, I feel like the Washington Post and New Yorker have become readable again, but for a while it was (I felt) pandering and, perhaps just as annoying, redundant. We dropped a New Yorker subscription during that period. I felt that some other publications that have always styled themselves as far left, like Mother Jones, did a better job of keeping an eye on the ball and the big picture and sticking to what they've always done, like it or hate it.

martinibuster

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Re: Website editorial bias reflected in thumbnails and photos
« Reply #6 on: April 05, 2018, 06:03:15 AM »
Reality, truth, propaganda... it's all more fluid than we sometimes realize.

I have a childhood friend in San Francisco who helps me sort these ideas. He's my human reality check. He doesn't work on the web. But you and the others in our circle will love him.

He's a professor in something to do with communication. He fits into our circle of friends. Trying to maybe get him and you and me and us all together sometime. I promise good times if I can get him out with us.

He's one of us:)
« Last Edit: April 05, 2018, 06:08:51 AM by martinibuster »