" If you don’t trust the news media, what are your options? You can fume about bias, wonder what you’re missing and suppress the urge to throw things.
But what if there were a device that objectively flagged questionable elements in online news articles, poking and parsing words and phrases, and letting you contribute your own critiques? Well, a Seattle company called SpinSpotter has produced a piece of software — a free download that works within a Web browser — that tries to do just that." - Read rest of article from The New York Times
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Quote from SpinSpotter
The Seven Deadly Spins.
We consider these the cardinal transgressions. The ones that poison the cool, clear drinking water of democracy. The neat thing about SpinSpotter is the ability to filter and identify the presence of spin in any news article, web site, press release, or thinly disguised political talk sheet.
With the guidance of our Journalism Advisory Board, and with the ongoing input of our users, we’ll continually refine our algorithms and spin-catching skills. We invite you to take a deeper, detailed look at specific daily examples of spin at Spin In Action.
Reporter’s Voice
Definition: The reporter employs language (in the form of adjectives, adverbs, verbs, or superlatives) that conveys meaning beyond the supporting evidence provided in the article, and begs the question: In whose opinion and by what objective standard?
Example: In the most hotly debated (superlative) campaign in years, Senator Obama delivered a soaring, inspirational (adjective) speech, while Senator John McCain, slowly (adverb) responded with a far less-eloquent (adjective) address, as he mightily (adverb) struggled (verb) to find a clear voice for his so-called "straight talk express."
Inaccurate Information
Definition: The reporter states something that is factually incorrect or misleading.
Example: The Artic National Wildlife REfuge (ANWAR) has the capacity to prodeuct 25% of the oil consumed in the U.S. each day. (SpinSpotter context: According to U.S. DOE estimates, ANWAR production would peak at 2%-7% of the oil consumed in the U.S. each day.)
Passive Voice
Definition: The reporter employs language in which the subject of the sentence receives the action instead of performing the action; often used as a way to avoid drawing attention to the person or entity that performed the action, and leaving the reader to ask, “Who did that?”
Example: Five people were killed by rockets in Israel last night.
Biased Source
Definition: The reporter quotes a source that has a definable point of view, or works for an organization with a clear point of view, but the reporter does not disclose the source’s view or affiliations.
Example: Filmmaker and political analyst Michael Moore, a registered independent, says Senator John McCain represents a “third Bush term.”
Disregarded Context
Definition: The reporter places emphasis on one part of an event without giving equal weight to the full aspect of what happened.
Example: Senator John McCain received a glowing welcome from a massive crowd, estimated at over 70,000 people. (SpinSpotter context: Senator McCain's speech followed a free concert by Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain, and Kid Rock.)
Selective Disclosure
Definition: The reporter fails to mention a critical element of the story.
Example: Seven Die in Church Shooting: A lone gunman shot and killed six worshippers in a local church before turning the gun on himself. (SPINSPOTTER disclosure: A retired police officer shot the gunman before the gunman killed himself.)
Lack of Balance
Definition: The reporter fails to give equal voice to both sides, or all sides, of a controversial story.
In addition to the Seven Deadly Spins, SpinSpotter also keeps an eye out for press releases masquerading as news. If a reporter reprints, in whole or in part, a press release (a packaged announcement from a political campaign, corporation, or advocacy group) as if it were a news story, or fails to sufficiently validate and/or edit a press release before using it as the basis for a news story. SpinSpotter will automatically generate an article-level Spin Marker alerting the reader.
