Year 9 · English · Literacy
Media literacy: bias and framing
Identify bias, framing, selective facts and omission in news and online texts, and distinguish fact from opinion.
Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Distinguish fact from opinion in news and online texts.
- Identify how headlines, word choice, selection and omission can create bias.
Success looks like
- I can tell whether a statement is a fact that could be checked or an opinion.
- I can explain how two headlines about the same event frame it differently.
- I can ask useful questions about who created a text and what might be left out.
The big idea
News and online content is created by people who make choices: which story to cover, which facts to include, which words to use and which images to show. These choices can create bias, even when every individual fact is accurate.
Start by separating fact from opinion. 'The council approved the plan on Tuesday' is a fact – it can be checked. 'The council made a reckless decision' is an opinion – 'reckless' is a judgement.
Framing is about emphasis. Consider two original headlines for the same event: 'Council approves new housing to ease rental crisis' and 'Council bulldozes local bushland for housing'. Both may be accurate, but the first frames the story around people needing homes, the second around environmental loss.
Watch for loaded words with strong connotations ('bulldozes', 'slams', 'heroic'); the selection of sources – whose voices are quoted and whose are not; omission of relevant information; and placement – what appears first, in the headline or in large type.
Good media literacy questions: Who made this? Why? Who is the audience? What is emphasised? What is left out? How could the same story be told differently?
Worked examples
Comparing headlines
Original headlines: A) 'Teen climate strikers bring city to standstill' B) 'Thousands of young people march for climate action'. How does each frame the event?
- List loaded words: A uses 'bring city to standstill' (disruption); B uses 'march for climate action' (purpose).
- Consider emphasis: A focuses on inconvenience; B on the cause and numbers.
- Identify the likely positioning: A positions readers to feel annoyed; B to feel sympathetic.
Answer: Headline A frames the event negatively, emphasising disruption; Headline B frames it positively, emphasising the size of the protest and its purpose. Neither is necessarily false, but each encourages a different reaction.
Separating fact from opinion
Original sentence: 'The new library, which opened on Monday with 20 000 books, is a shameful waste of ratepayers' money.' Separate fact and opinion.
- Facts that could be checked: opened on Monday; holds 20 000 books.
- Opinion: 'shameful waste' is a judgement.
- Note how placing the opinion after the facts can make it seem equally reliable.
Answer: Fact: the library opened on Monday with 20 000 books. Opinion: it is a 'shameful waste of ratepayers' money'.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
Which statement is a fact?
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory. — This can be checked and proven true.
Which headline uses the most loaded language?
Minister guts school funding in brutal budget — 'Guts' and 'brutal' carry strong negative connotations.
What is omission?
Leaving out information — What is left out can be as important as what is included.
A report on a factory closure quotes only the company owner. This is an example of bias through…
Selection of sources — Only one side's voice is heard, so workers' views are missing.
Which is the most useful question when evaluating an online article?
Who created it and what might they want me to believe? — Understanding the creator and purpose helps reveal possible bias.
What is the term for how a story is presented to shape interpretation? (one word)
Framing — Framing decides what is emphasised and in what light.
'This decision is outrageous.' Is this a fact or an opinion? (one word)
Opinion — 'Outrageous' is a judgement that cannot be proven.
What is a one-sided presentation favouring a particular view called? (one word)
Bias — Bias favours one side over others.
Watch out for
- Believing that a text containing only facts cannot be biased. Selection and omission of facts can still create bias.
- Assuming all bias is deliberate or dishonest. Bias can be unconscious; the goal is to notice it.
- Dismissing every source that has a viewpoint. Opinion pieces are legitimate as long as readers recognise them as opinion.
Tips for parents
- Compare how two news outlets cover the same story at dinner time and discuss differences.
- Model the questions 'Who made this?' and 'What's missing?' when you share articles at home.
- Keep conversations balanced – the aim is critical thinking, not adopting a particular political view.
Go further
- Write two short news reports on the same imaginary event (for example, a new skate park) framed in opposite ways, then annotate the techniques.
- Create a one-page checklist for evaluating online sources and test it on three websites.
- Find a photograph and write two captions that frame it differently.