How the Media Reported Kamala Harris' Acceptance Speech
Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee on the final night of the DNC
Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage in Chicago on Thursday night and accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.
All eyes were on Harris during her 38-minute speech to the nation on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
But if you’ve glanced at the headlines or listened to the news on Friday, you may have thought Harris delivered several different speeches.
Reporting varies greatly, as you already know, and it can impact what consumers believe to be true — regardless of the facts.
As a reminder, journalists are expected to follow a set of ethics that prevents them from inserting their opinions into their reporting. They are supposed to provide nothing but the facts in an organized way, allowing the news consumer to determine whether they agree or disagree with a certain political figure, party, or whatever the topic is about.
In this post, we will look at a few of the day’s headlines and the first few paragraphs of the stories, to see if they reveal any underlying bias.
One Speech, Three Stories
Here are three stories from three different media outlets. As you begin reading, take notice of words and language that are used to persuade rather than educate.
CNN: Harris gives Americans the chance to make history
Kamala Harris promised Americans a future that neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden could deliver, showing how profoundly she has changed the 2024 election.
The first Black woman to claim a major party nomination on Thursday styled her “unlikely journey” to the Democratic nod as the springboard to lift the country to a new place after years of being torn apart by its bitter divides.
The vice president, who no one thought would be the candidate even five weeks ago, offered voters a clear choice in a steady and patriotic Democratic National Convention address in Chicago.
This story doesn’t appear to attempt to hide its favor for Harris. It states that she showed “how profoundly she has changed” the current election. In the third paragraph, the reporter goes further, claiming Harris has “offered voters a clear choice.”
FOX News: Harris leaves out deadly botched Afghanistan withdrawal in soaring pro-military DNC speech
Vice President Kamala Harris touted her foreign policy record and support of veterans during her Democratic National Convention (DNC) acceptance speech, while leaving out the 13 U.S. service members who were killed during the White House's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
“I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists. And I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un, who are rooting for Trump. Because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable — because he wants to be an autocrat,” Harris touted from the DNC's stage in Chicago Thursday evening.
"As president, I will never waver in defense of America’s security and ideals. Because, in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand — and where the United States of America belongs."
Harris also celebrated her foreign policy record as vice president, including her handling of the yearslong war in Russia.
This story focused on the Biden-Harris administration’s U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which left 13 service members dead and led to the country being taken over by the Taliban. While the story does not directly pledge its loyalty to the Republican nominee Donald Trump or even criticize Harris, it does center on an event that many Americans say was not handled properly.
Politico: Harris embraces patriotism, savages Trump in acceptance speech
Kamala Harris wrapped her month-old campaign in the stars and stripes — and delivered a sharp repudiation of Donald Trump.
The vice president — who jumped to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race — used her acceptance speech on Thursday night to introduce her story of being raised by an immigrant, single-mom in a middle-class home in Oakland, California, before rising to the pinnacle of the government as distinctly American. Harris presented her own unlikely journey and vision of America in sharp contrast to her opponent’s promise to “make America great again.”
It’s a play for swing voters in battleground states, as Harris works to broaden her appeal to independents and moderates who may be alienated by Trump — but not yet sold on her own nascent campaign. On Thursday, she pledged “to be a president for all Americans,” with a candidacy she argued was a shared project to push the country past the Trump era.
Finally, the Politico story‘s headline is charged with language that indicates the outlet favors Harris over Trump. However, the story is more balanced although further down it describes Trump and Biden as “elderly and polarizing presidents.” Overall, the story stays closer to sharing details about her speech and less about telling readers what they should think about it.
Story Angles
You probably noticed how different the angles were for each media outlet. Now, an angle in and of itself is not necessarily bad. It’s meant to be the focus of the story, but in recent years the angle has become more of a spin placed on a story.
If you have time, watch the C-Span video or read the transcript to decide for yourself how you think her speech spoke to you.
Thank you for reading and I hope this post has given you an idea of how we will reveal information to expose hidden bias in stories. As we move forward, we’ll go deeper into stories and I’ll show you ways to verify information.