SpinSpotter

[Baker, John]

SpinSpotter, a new online tool designed to expose news bias, has just come out in beta.  I haven't tried it yet - you have to install their toolbar, it will only work with Firefox 3, and it sounds maximally annoying anyway.  It seems unlikely, however, that it will achieve its stated goal.
 
The tool is supposed to spot bias using "rules of spin" based on journalists' codes of ethics, see http://spinspotter.com/rules.  The prohibited forms of spin are:  reporter's voice (the reporter employs modifiers or other language that conveys meaning beyond the supporting evidence provided in the article); passive voice; biased source (failure to disclose a source's view or affiliations); disregarded context; selective disclosure (failure to mention a critical element of the story); lack of balance (failure to give equal voice to all sides of a controversial story); and overreliance on press releases.
 
I'm not sure how useful these guidelines will be in reliably detecting bias.  In any case, it seems that the tool will rely heavily on user input, and therefore will be susceptible to gaming.   You can judge for yourself at http://spinspotter.com/home.
 
 
 
John Baker
 
 

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org