The AP's Spin On Its Own Poll Shows Media Bias In Action

July 24, 2020 By Emily Jashinsky

Media bias often comes down to framing, and the Associated Press just supplied us with a glistening example of how it’s done.  “AP-NORC poll: Very few Americans back full school reopening,” blared a Thursday headline in the outlet.

Based on the survey’s results, however, that headline could easily have been rewritten to say “Very few Americans back full school closures” or “Most Americans back full or partial school reopening,” both of which would have been fairer descriptions of the results.
 
The poll actually found 68 percent of adults believe K-12 schools should open with major adjustments (46 percent), minor adjustments (14 percent), or “as usual” (eight percent). That means 68 percent of adults “back” schools reopening, including 56 percent of Democrats.

You can see what the AP did here, stretching to cast the results in the least favorable light for Republicans. That’s not because a bunch of reporters got together in a back room and conspired to undercut the GOP, it’s because their monolithic ideological perspective informs their interpretation of the news.............To Read More...