Every news broadcast or news article is going to have some sort of bias, whether it is intentional or not. For this assignment I focused on the Charleston Church shooting that occurred June 17, 2015. Dylan Roof walked into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina during worship, opened fire , and killed nine people.  The first article I read was by the Washington Post and was titled “Charleston church shooter: ‘I would like to make it crystal clear, I do not regret what I did’” . This article pointed out the negative aspects of Dylann’s life. This article points out that Dylann felt he was obligated to do what he did and did not feel any type of remorse for opening fire. The second article by abc news was titled “Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof ‘is not all bad,’ grandfather says”. This article pointed at the rather good aspects of Dylann’s childhood. This article tried to paint a picture that Dylann was not a bad person but may have made a bad decision. They immediately portrayed this in the title, especially by quoting someone as endearing as a grandfather. The bias comes with the news station/ publishers personal views as well as the audiences they are trying to reach out to. A more conservative/ right winged publisher focuses more on ideas that are not as widely accepted. This is why  ABC decided the stance on Dylann Roof being a regular person who can be forgiven for his actions. Washing is a more moderate state so they tend to be in the middle with views.

Citations

Shapiro, Emily. “Charleston Church Shooter Dylann Roof ‘Is Not All Bad,’ Grandfather Says.”ABC News, ABC News Network, 10 Apr. 2017, abcnews.go.com/US/charleston-church-shooter-dylann-roof-bad-grandfather/story?id=46709198.

Zapotosky, Matt. “Charleston Church Shooter: ‘I Would like to Make It Crystal Clear, I Do Not Regret What I Did’.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 4 Jan. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/charleston-church-shooter-i-would-like-to-make-it-crystal-clear-i-do-not-regret-what-i-did/2017/01/04/05b0061e-d1da-11e6-a783-cd3fa950f2fd_story.html?utm_term=.78bcc9f8311f.