Campaign Overview: Why We Monitor City Hall Coverage

Reporting Bias in City Hall Coverage is a direct-action campaign that empowers the public to act as a community watchdog over local news reporting. The goal is to document and expose instances where local news coverage of municipal government—including city council, planning boards, and mayoral actions—shows clear political bias, favors certain officials, or ignores critical opposition voices. This surveillance is necessary to maintain transparency and ensure that consolidated media ownership is not secretly pushing a political agenda.

The Problem: A Filter on Local Democracy

Local government reporting is the foundation of democracy, yet it is often the first casualty of media consolidation. When news budgets are cut, fewer reporters attend meetings, and those who remain may face pressure to align their reporting with the interests of owners who have ties to city contracts or local politicians.

• Subtle bias can distort public perception of local legislation and officials.
• Under-reporting on controversial city decisions allows corruption and waste to go unchecked.
• Lack of diverse viewpoints in coverage damages the public's ability to participate effectively in civic life.

Documentation Focus: What to Look For

We encourage all community members who consume local news and attend or watch City Hall proceedings to look for and report the following types of bias:

1. Exclusion of Viewpoints: Repeatedly quoting only one side of a public debate while ignoring or minimizing valid opposition voices.
2. Disproportionate Coverage: Spending excessive time covering non-controversial events for favored officials while burying controversial stories about them.
3. Framing Bias: Using language that automatically casts one politician or decision in a negative light without presenting balancing facts or context.
4. Failure to Follow Up: Dropping complex investigative stories after initial publication, especially if those stories involve politically connected individuals.

How to File a Verified Report

Filing a verified report is the central action of this campaign. Your documentation provides the necessary evidence to confront newsrooms and demand corrections and accountability.

1. Collect Evidence: You must include a link to the specific article, video, or broadcast in question, along with a link to the contradictory public record (e.g., meeting minutes, official documents).
2. Describe the Bias: Clearly explain, in one to two paragraphs, how the reporting violated ethical standards or demonstrated bias. Reference specific quotes or omissions.
3. Use the Form: Click the File a Report button above to access our secure, encrypted submission form. You may submit anonymously, though providing contact information allows our research team to follow up if necessary.
4. Review and Action: Our team reviews submissions for verification. Verified reports are compiled into periodic Accountability Reports that we issue to the public and the targeted news organizations.