Ms. Gokturk

Journalism

Get the Bias Out

News stories should be objective. Yet often, the choice of words that are used in a story tends to color the story and give a slanted view. Rewrite the story as best you can to be as unbiased as possible, follow the inverted pyramid format (don’t forget a headline and news lead), and use concise paragraphs.

Last night several detectives talked to Samuel Robinson, a candidate for the City Council, about the sudden and strange disappearance of his seventeen year old daughter Gayle, who dropped out of sight five days ago. In her closet are dozens of skirts and designer jeans. The girl’s bank account was untouched; as was the “piggy bank,” actually a Raggedy Ann, in which she has collected pennies and nickels since she was a little girl.

Today the Robinson home is a restless, unhappy place. A friend of the missing girl whispered something about a quarrel between Gayle and her father. Gayle’s twelve year old brother Charles is lonely, and Mrs. Robinson’s eyes are red from crying. Mr. Robinson is scheduled to speak tonight at a political rally. When asked if he would keep the engagement, Mr. Robinson said emotionlessly, “Of course I’ll keep it.”