Two Very Different Takes on the GOP Tax Bill

The Senate's Republican majority recently passed a bill which would dramatically overhaul the American tax code; on this fact everyone seems to agree. However, the varying language used by different news media outlets reveals that despite their pretensions of objectivity they have directly opposed opinions on the bill's merit.

For example, the word choice of Fox News' article on the subject is quite supportive of the legislation. The headline is resoundingly positive, including words like "victorious" and "confident" and speaking of "avoiding shutdown." It goes on to quote a number of Republican politicians who voted for or otherwise supported the bill, without including any opposing viewpoint. In fact, the only reference to Democrats in the article is a segment about how Republican concerns that they would attempt a government shutdown in protest of the bill were averted. Throughout this, word choice remains consistently positive, with the article describing those involved as "upbeat," "eager" and "optimistic" about their "success."

On the other side of the aisle, the Washington Post's coverage of the tax plan is thoroughly negative. It is described as "unpopular" in the headline, and polls demonstrating resistance to the bill are mentioned twice in the article. There is also a paragraph describing an analysis that it would add greatly to the deficit. In addition, the story covers the Democrats' opposition and quotes at length one of the senators who opposed the bill.

These two pieces are merely symptoms of a greater trend: ostensibly neutral reporting on any topic is in fact subtly expressing strong opinions on the subject.