Hey, Arianna here!
Living in the Information Age means being able to acquire info with the tap of a finger. But did you know that what we read can influence the way we perceive people and situations? If an author is writing with an agenda in mind, he or she will try to persuade readers to see things through his/her point of view. That’s called Bias.
Merriam-Webster’s definition of Bias is:
Bias can be found in the language used by an author inside a book or an article or in the script that accompanies a video. The author might sprinkle certain words here or there, usually adjectives, to steer the reader toward a certain way of thinking. He or she might use overly emotional language or make certain allusions to subtly manipulate the reader.
See what I did there? Be aware of authors making strong statements without providing adequate citations revealing where he or she got this information from. Never accept “facts” according to face value – always check sources if they are not stated outright. By definition, if an article is biased, the author has cherry picked facts to suit his or her narrative.
Did you know that there are some professions where it is actually someone’s job to ad bias to articles or pictures? For example, Public Relations and Advertising are two areas where people are hired to convey a positive image and reputation of their company at all times. These “Spin Doctors” are masters of media bias. “Spin” refers to using vague, dramatic and sensational language to garner a reaction and may play fast and loose with the facts. Authors “spin” objective facts to cloud a reader's perception. Today’s news media is one such place where one can see the work of spin bias.
Spinned articles, and biased articles in general focus on appealing to a reader’s emotions. Tabloid newspapers and gossip papers like the National Inquirer use “loud” language to get their point across. Beware of any publication that promises “exclusive” and “secret” information that only these writers have access to. Conspiracy theories are popular among “fringe” elements, people who claim only “they” know the truth, a psychology often invoked by cult leaders.
Challenge yourself by doing this little exercise: take an article from a random website and identify if there is a bias within that article. Find the keywords that make up that bias. Is the article using substitute words for “said,” and if so, what do these words convey? Does it describe a prominent figure objectively or does it use only a negative buzzword? Does it give a number of facts but provides no way for you to check whether these facts are true or not? Always question whatever you read – avoid being a passive reader. After you’ve read an article that upsets you, ask yourself, is the article objective or biased? Can any of the facts mentioned in the piece be checked for accuracy, or not?
I hope this article has been helpful to you. Knowledge is power!
0 Comments.