Slanting the news

I always find it interesting to see how different media organisations angle a particular 'breaking news story'. The news today is that Andy Coulson has been found guilty while Rebekah Brooks has been cleared. 

The BBC is leading with news of the verdicts in the 'Hacking Trial'. They have two main headlines about it, heading the two main sections of their home page:

Andy Coulson guilty of phone hacking

Cameron apologises over Coulson 

The various minor headlines linking to related articles beneath run as follows:

Phone-hacking trial updates Live 

Cameron apologises over Coulson 

Cameron 'extremely sorry' 

Blunkett: 'I was near breakdown'

Media scrum outside court

Balls and Osborne on verdict 

Brooks cleared in hacking trial

Hacking charges and verdicts so far 

Note how the guilty verdict against Andy Coulson is very much the story for the BBC. The not guilty verdict against Rebekah Brooks is relegated to 7th place in their minor headlines.

Not so with ITV News which is running the story with the following two banner headlines, and placing Rebekah Brooks' not guilty verdict first:

Rebekah Brooks found not guilty of all hacking charges

PM's 'full and frank apology' for employing Andy Coulson

ITV's three main 'Live news stream' headlines also offer a balance:

Ex-No 10 spin doctor Andy Coulson guilty of phone hacking

Rebekah Brooks cleared of all charges in phone hacking trial

Cameron offers 'full and frank' apology for hiring Coulson

Sky News has four main headlines on the story and balances the two sides of the story:

Cameron Apology: 'I Was Wrong To Hire Coulson'

Hacking: Brooks Cleared But Coulson Guilty

Phone-Hacking Trial Verdicts: Live Updates

What Now For The 'Flame-Haired Empathiser'?

The Times places the good news first but conveys both sides of the story succinctly:

Hacking: Brooks cleared, Coulson guilty

The Guardian places it the other way round, but also gives both sides of the story their due:

Phone hacking: Andy Coulson guilty as Brooks walks free

By their slants do you know them. The BBC's slant seems by far the sharpest, doesn't it?

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P.S. From a comments at Biased BBC, it looks as if this particular slant is at play across the BBC:

John Anderson says:

June 24, 2014 at 1:45 pm

World at One on Radio 4 devoting most of its time to the hacking trial verdicts. All the focus seems to be on Coulson – or rather – or rather, on David Cameron who is guilt of bad judgment but not of any criminality.

There is virtually no focus on the not guilty verdicts on all charges against Rebekah Brooks, her husband and her secretary. They have been prime BBC targets for years now, “guilty until found innocent” – but their innocence is now being swept under the carpet.

By contrast – Sky seems to be balancing both aspects of the verdicts delivered so far.