Show Notes
Vanessa Otero is the creator of the Media Bias Chart, and the Founder and CEO of Ad Fontes Media
A licensed patent attorney in the Denver, Colorado area, Vanessa holds a B.A. in English from UCLA and a J.D. from the University of Denver. Vanessa’s formal education and professional career has centered on analytical reading, writing and reasoning, creating an ideal background for her to create a content analysis methodology for evaluating text.
Alarmed by the unhealthy state of the media ecosystem, Vanessa used her expertise in content analysis to create the original Media Bias Chart in 2016. Then in 2018, she founded Ad Fontes Media to fulfill the need revealed by the popularity of the chart–namely, to meet the demand for a map to help people navigate the complex media landscape, and for comprehensive content analysis of media sources themselves. Today, Ad Fontes Media uses a systematic approach to content analysis in which a team of politically-balanced professional analysts examine and categorize news content creating data that is useful to news consumers, educators, marketers, and even publishers themselves. Ad Fontes also offers training in its content analysis methodology through products and services for educational institutions and for individuals.
Vanessa is on the Board of Directors of Community Radio for Northern Colorado and is on the Advisory Council of Media Literacy Now. Vanessa has also been published or featured in articles and blogs on news literacy, news bias and free speech, social media, and conspiracy theories. These sources have included the Poynter Institute, BigThink, MarketWatch, Lifehacker, City A.M. and more. She is a much sought-after speaker at national news literacy workshops and webinars, and presented a workshop at the Northeast Media Literacy Conference this past fall.
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What is BiCurean?
BiCurean takes typically combative topics and teaches them to play nice. Our view is the mainstream reactionary rhetoric divides us and only helps those invested in the status quo. We seek to find answers beyond the most obvious.
Join host Aicila as she digs into topics ranging from social and political to geeky and fun. Aicila is looking for the "BiCurean Moment"- the point where contradictions meet or are embraced.
BiCurean was conceived of in 2011 by Aicila as a podcast and originally created as a blog. On hiatus since 2021, she's been eager to start back up, and 2025 will be the year she does. Watch for new episodes, a new format, and just her as the host.
https://bio.bicurean.com for more info