In 2025, UCLA published a report on missing coverage of the LA wildfires that sparked new debates around biased media coverage. Depending on the news outlet, news consumers received varying information on what happened during the wildfires that swept through Los Angeles.
This instance of media framing is one of many that has left news consumers wary of how much they can trust their news outlets. For those seeking a guide on finding the unbiased truth behind current events, here is a guide to help you navigate the news.
Identifying Media Framing
Media framing is a term describing the way a news outlet chooses to present a news story. When using the term “media framing”, it’s more important to focus on what has been left out, rather than what was reported. Media framing also questions which sources were included in a news report and what language was used to describe the event.
Let’s take the LA wildfires as an example. Different outlets emphasized different aspects of the same disaster. While some focused on government response, others focused on individual loss or climate change. There was no angle to report that was more correct than another, but none of them alone told the full story. This is how framing works. Media framing reshapes the audience’s understanding of an event without them realizing what is happening.
Here are a few ways to identify media framing:
- Emotionally-charged language: Typically in the headline, the news uses click-bait, shock factor, or other emotionally-charged language strategies in their reporting.
- One-sided sources: The news article was strategic in what sides of a current event were reported on, and chose to leave out the rest.
- Lack of context: Often harder to spot, a news article lacks context that would complicate the narrative of their story or create new perspectives on a story.
Using a neutral news source helps readers avoid overconsuming biased news articles that take away from the full narrative.
News Fatigue from Biased Articles
Once you know what media framing looks like, you can also spot bias in each individual article you read. This is where most news consumers stop. Finding out that a news outlet leans towards a certain perspective can be a turn off for some people. In addition, it can become exhausting having to watch out for bias in each news article you read. Instead, most people who are wary of media framing seek out more reliable, objective news sources.
Avoiding News Fatigue While Staying In-the-Know
Paying attention to media bias and media framing takes effort. For many, it results in news fatigue, giving them a sense of exhaustion that makes them want to step away from the news altogether. In a fast-paced modern age, it can be hard to fully remove yourself from consuming the news. You want to stay up-to-date, even if that means taking the effort to do so.
The key to avoiding fatigue while consuming the news is about finding quality news, rather than consuming quantity. Choosing depth over volume and using tools to filter news for you helps reduce emotional exhaustion. With innovations in AI, finding unbiased news platforms has been easier than ever before. It also leads to a sustainable way of consuming the news without all the noise.
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