Ann Michalsen's lesson

Is there a lack of diversity?
If you think about it, how many women, people of color or openly gays og lesbians do you see at the news outlet. FAIR's 40 month survey of Nightline found its U.S guest to be 92 percent white people and 89 percent male, a simular survey og PBS's NewsHour found its U.S. guestlist is 90 percent white and 87 percent male. So i would  say that there is a lack of diversity.

From whose point of view is the news reported?
Media often focuses on how issues affect other people than who it is appropriate to do, other than those who are directly hit by the issue. E.g. the stories on parental notification and abortion, that can be very accurate for those under 18, instead media confronts and encourage male politicians.

Are there double standards?
The should be at least. As a  jouralist you shoud not protect or attack anybody. A jorurnalist is not supposed to take sides, but write about both positive and negative sides.

Do stereotypes skew coverage?
Is it right to think that if there is a drug crisis, that there are African Americans involved, even though the fact that the vast majority of drug users are white? No, it is not. You should not judge people by their looks or anything else. Even if lesbians like women, it does not mean that they are man-hating and if boys like boys, it does not mean that they can't stand girls or that they are sexual preditors.

What are the unchallenged assumptions?
Often the most important message of the story gets excluded or not told directly. E.g. if a person gets caught stealing a car, is it right to get into things like skipping classes in high school and other (I would say irrelevant) things from his past when you write about it. The focus should be on the stolen car and how it happend, not the background of the criminal. 

Is the language loaded?
It showes that how media present news and which words that use, has an enormous difference/impact on how the issue/news is percived. When media uses loaded language, they help shape puplic opinion.

Is there a lack of context?
If you are going to write a text, give a speech or anything else, it is important that your information is relevant to the issue or ponit you are trying to make.

Do the headlines and stories match? 
Since so many people just skim the headlines when reading news, it is important that the headline match the story. If the reporter that wrote the acticle does not give it a headline, it is important for the person that is naming it reads through the text, and finds an appropriate and matching headline. It is not good to mislead the reader, every journalist or reporter should be aware of that.

Are stories on important issues featured prominently?
The most widely read papers' and lead stories will have the greatest influence on puplic opinion. It is important to put the most important or ineresting news on the front page, so people would be interested in bying the newspaper or continue to read the news for that media.