Media Bias Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. A story notes that ice-cream sales and sunburn cases rise during the same months, then concludes that buying ice cream causes sunburn. What is the central reasoning error?
Using a quotation outside its original language
Treating correlation as proof of causation
Presenting too many independent variables
Giving equal weight to two competing explanations
2. A commentator cites only the two years in which unemployment fell while ignoring eight years that contradict the claimed long-term trend. Which technique is being used?
Protecting an anonymous source
Cherry-picking evidence
Correcting for seasonal variation
Separating reporting from opinion
3. What is confirmation bias?
A legal requirement for journalists to reveal their political views
The practice of giving every viewpoint exactly the same amount of coverage
An error caused by publishing information before a deadline
The tendency to favor information that supports an existing belief while discounting contrary evidence
4. A bar chart shows values of 94 and 96, but its vertical axis begins at 93, making the second bar appear three times taller. What feature is most misleading?
The values differ by an even number
The chart uses bars instead of a table
The larger value is placed on the right
The truncated axis visually exaggerates the difference
5. An alarming photograph is shared as evidence of a recent event, but the post gives no photographer, date, or original source. Which tool is most directly useful?
A spelling checker
A social-media popularity ranking
A reverse-image search
A screen-brightness adjustment
6. An article resembles ordinary reporting, but a small label says “Sponsored Content” and the featured company paid for it. What is it?
A public-record request
A peer-reviewed correction
An unsigned editorial
Native advertising
7. A viral post claims that a public official made a surprising statement and links to a long official transcript. What is the strongest initial check?
Find the quoted passage in the transcript and examine its surrounding context
Count how many reactions the post has received
Check whether the post agrees with other posts in your feed
Judge the claim from the official’s past reputation alone
8. Which headline provides the clearest example of loaded language?
“Council Votes 6-3 on Parking Proposal”
“Parking Proposal Would Change Fees in Three Districts”
“Greedy Officials Push Outrageous Parking Cash Grab”
“Council Publishes Revised Parking Proposal”
9. A report on a well-established scientific finding gives equal space to the broad expert consensus and to a fringe claim lacking comparable evidence. What is this called?
Editorial independence
Lateral reading
False balance
Source triangulation
10. What does “lateral reading” mean when evaluating an unfamiliar website?
Opening other sources to investigate the site, its claims, and its reputation
Reading every page on the website from beginning to end
Comparing the left and right columns of the same page
Scanning only the headline and first paragraph for key terms
11. Outlet A reports that a protest was peaceful for most of the day but includes one confrontation. Outlet B shows only repeated footage of that confrontation. What should a careful reader investigate first?
Which outlet used the brighter video colors
Whether the confrontation happened in a public place
Whether the repeated footage represents the overall event or selectively emphasizes one moment
Whether both outlets posted their reports at exactly the same time
12. Which statement best describes the relationship between factual accuracy and media bias?
Accurate reporting cannot contain bias of any kind
A report is biased only when it includes a fabricated quotation
Any report that expresses a perspective must be factually false
A report can use accurate facts yet still shape perception through selection, emphasis, or framing
13. A report says, “Research proves the program works,” but links only to another news article that summarizes the study. Which source would best support direct evaluation of the claim?
A popular comment discussing the news article
The original study and its methods
A second article repeating the same summary
A promotional page for the program
14. A shocking article comes from a website known for satire, but screenshots circulate without the site name or disclaimer. What is the best conclusion?
The original page and independent reporting should be checked before treating the claim as factual
The claim is false because satire never refers to real events
The screenshot should be trusted if its design resembles a news page
The claim is factual because many people shared the screenshot
15. A news site repeatedly covers crimes involving one demographic but rarely reports similar crimes involving others. Which type of bias is most directly illustrated?
Selection bias, because the chosen stories may create an unrepresentative impression
Measurement bias, because crime cannot be measured consistently
Survivorship bias, because only successful cases are included
Recency bias, because readers remember the newest report best
16. Two accurate headlines describe the same tax proposal. One says “Lawmakers offer relief to families,” while the other says “Lawmakers slash public revenue.” What most clearly differs?
Whether the proposal exists
The framing used to guide interpretation of the proposal
Whether either headline uses a primary source
The date on which the proposal becomes law