> This experiment presented journalists with a potential news story (a candidate running for the state legislature) that varied only in its ideological content

> This experiment presented journalists with a potential news story (a candidate running for the state legislature) that varied only in its ideological content (i.e., the ideology of the candidate). That is about the least ideologically charged story I could imagine. E.g. has "Unknown <republican>/<democrat> runs for office" ever gone viral among liberals or conservatives? It is exactly the kind of story I would pick if I wanted to make sure the experiment did not detect any bias. "White kills black"/"Black kills white" would have been a much better test, as those are the kind of stories that generate the most outrage and attention.