Calls of media bias are in no short supply these days, and a report out Tuesday suggests that those tendencies may extend far beyond political views. Issues of race, terrorism, even climate change can be slanted not only by a publication's leaning, but also by what's profitable. According to data compiled by Axios, acts of terrorism get more than 350 percent more coverage in the U.S. if they're committed by a Muslim than if they're not. And last year's devastating Hurricane Maria, from which parts of Puerto Rico are still trying to recover, got a third of the airtime as Harvey or Irma, both of which made landfall in the States. And when asked about reporting on this month's deadly wildfires in Greece, MSNBC host Chris Hayes [admitted in a tweet](https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1021759145425489920) that those stories took a bite out of ratings. The pressure to deliver ratingsーand, by extension, ad revenueーby covering the stories networks think will gain traction with their audiences is one factor that can plant an unconscious bias in a programming slate, but so can the makeup of its staff. Media companies like Blavity, which focuses on content for black millennials, try to combat that by employing multicultural writers from various backgrounds, who add a personal touch to their stories. The consequences of even unconscious bias in media could be significant. Axios pointed out that not addressing issues uniquely faced by minority groupsーwhether based on race, gender, religion, incomeーcould mean their concerns go ignored. "Particularly as we move into an election year, we have a huge responsibility to make sure we're doing original reporting and coverage and building out that pipeline of reporters around the country," said Blavity CEO Morgan DeBaun in an interview with Cheddar. One of the stories that's resonated with her audience is the murder of Nia Wilson. The 18-year-old black woman was stabbed to death by a white man at an Oakland, Calif., BART station earlier in July, and her sister was left badly wounded. The attack prompted an impassioned [Instagram post](https://www.instagram.com/p/BlqdpDOgNE7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_control) from Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway, but while large media outlets seemed to spend little time covering the story, Blavity published [dozens](https://blavity.com/search/?q=nia%20wilson) of pieces on the topic. "We're trying to figure out how do we both tell and honor those who've been lost and also provide resources for those on the ground in our community who are fighting against this and really making sure we have honest news reporting and original reporting to tell these stories," DeBaun said. Last week, Blavity closed a $6.5 million funding round led by GV, the venture capital arm of Google parent Alphabet. The company previously received a seed investment of $1.8 million.
