Is the media actually biased? Or do we just think it is?

In this episode of UnSpun, DrSturg examines decades of research on media bias, political polarization, cable news and the psychology of news consumption. From Fox News and CNN to newspapers, social media and more, she explores what researchers have found about bias in news coverage and how people on opposite sides of an issue can see the same story completely differently.

Do the politicians yelling #FakeNews have a point?

Find out in this week's UnSpun.

**Check out DrSturg on Bluesky

**DrSturg wrote a book that makes YOU smarter about the news with information and exercises taken from real news stories. Find it here: https://amzn.to/3CLyvGr

This week's paper, from Sweden, answers an important question: when politicians dogwhistle racism, can it make them MORE popular?

In this episode, DrSturg breaks down clearly what a dog whistle is and the clever way this paper studied the matter. She ends with advice on what YOU can do to not fall victim and a message for journalists.

Here is the original paper.

DrSturg's book, Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News is on sale! It also teaches you how to identify this kind of shady language yourself, using real examples from the news.

Here are three places you can find directories of dogwhistles:

American Jewish Committee

Anti-Defamation League

Southern Poverty Law Center

This week is Stephen Colbert’s final on CBS, and it's part of a larger story behind modern media: consolidation. When a few companies own more of the places you get information, it affects how much corruption there is, how much you know about yourself and your neighbors and the fabric of society itself.

So much of the information we get now feels overwhelming but strangely thin. You'll learn why, as well as how local journalism was never just content. It was civic infrastructure.

Today's Front Pages Gallery mentioned in the episode.

Check out Dr. Sturg's book that teaches you how to tell when newsmakers are trying to deceive you.

Follow Dr. Sturg on Bluesky.