You already know when a post is pushing you. A headline can make the same fact feel calm or urgent. Today you will read three short coverages of one invented local story, spot how each one frames it, then judge one real story in three Irish outlets on a Bias and Balance Sheet for your Communication Portfolio.
Here are four terms you will use all lesson. After that comes one invented local vote; you read three short takes on it next.
| Term | What it means for you | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bias | Selection, wording, or missing voices steer you toward one side | A story on a bus route cut that quotes only angry passengers |
| Balance | More than one side gets fair space so you can weigh the evidence | A report that gives the bus company and the passengers a fair say |
| Editorial | Written to argue a view, not map the full facts | A column telling readers to sign a petition to save the route |
| Framing | Choices that steer how a story lands: lead, voices, words | The same timetable change called a shake-up in one piece and a cutback in another |
The event (invented for class): Glenmore Town Council voted to charge €2 per hour at the leisure centre car park from 1 April. Glenmore is a real place name; the council, the vote, the quotes and the named people are invented for this lesson.
Same facts will appear in three coverages. Different jobs. You will judge who gets quoted, which words lean, and what each piece puts first.
Mark framing in Coverage C with the four labels. Those labels are the yardstick for A, B and C next. This page is practice only. Do not put it in the Portfolio.
This is practice for the next step, where you use the same four criteria on real news. Your answers save as you type.
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