Unveiling the hidden agenda: Biases in news reporting and consumption

Abstract

Recognizing the presence and impact of news outlets’ biases on public discourse is a crucial challenge. Biased news significantly shapes how individuals perceive events, potentially jeopardizing public and individual wellbeing. In assessing news outlet reliability, the focus has predominantly centered on narrative bias, sidelining other biases such as selecting events favoring specific perspectives (selection bias). Leveraging machine learning techniques, we have compiled a six-year dataset of articles related to vaccines, categorizing them based on narrative and event types. Employing a Bayesian latent space model, we quantify both selection and narrative biases in news outlets. Results show third-party assessments align with narrative bias but struggle to identify selection bias accurately. Moreover, extreme and negative perspectives attract more attention, and consumption analysis unveils shared audiences among ideologically similar outlets, suggesting an echo chamber structure. Quantifying news outlets’ selection bias is crucial for ensuring a comprehensive representation of global events in online debates.