Bias Analysis

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By Donna Baeck

The article I analyzed was from the New York Times titled, "Robbed at Gunpoint, Some Bronx Victims Resist". The writer discusses how people in the Bronx who were robbed at gunpoint often refused to give up the little cash they had in their pockets even though their lives were in danger.

The writer's main point is that these people were taking a huge risk by refusing to give up their money with a gun pointed at them. He quotes a Bronx youth activist who says people in the area think they're stronger than they actually are and won't give up their few dollars.

In the writer's point of view, it seems foolish for these people in the Bronx to think the few dollars in their pocket is worth more than their own life. He has a point when he argues this perspective, but he seems to be missing a big piece of the picture.

A huge part of the population in the Bronx live in rough neighborhoods and are low-income. What may be just a couple of dollars to the writer can make it or break it for someone who lives paycheck to paycheck. The cash in someone's pocket might be what's feeding their children for the night.

In order to avoid misrepresentation in articles like these, it should start in the newsroom. The more diverse backgrounds in the newsroom, the more voices and experiences there are to detect biased perspectives. 

The journalist ultimately failed to consider the struggles of the low-income population that takes up the majority of the Bronx area in New York. What he could have done differently is by interviewing people who have actually been robbed at gunpoint in the area. All the journalist did was interview other people who were just giving their own opinion. 



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