What is it? How do you know if there is bias in something you are reading?

Bias:noun [bahy-uh s] noun, adjective, adverb, verb, bi·ased, bi·as·ing or ( especially British ) bi·assed, bi·as·sing. Noun 1. an oblique or diagonal line of direction, especially across a woven fabric. 2. a particular tendency or inclination, especially one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice. 3. Statistics. a systematic as opposed to a random distortion of a statistic as a result of sampling procedure. 4. Lawn Bowling. a. a slight bulge or greater weight on one side of the ball or bowl. b. the curved course made by such a ball when rolled. 5. Electronics. the application of a steady voltage or current to an active device, as a diode or transistor, to produce a desired mode of operation.

Bias: Adjective, Adverb, Verb adjective cut, set, folded, etc., diagonally adverb in a diagonal manner; obliquely; slantingly: to cut material bias. verb (used with object) to cause partiality or favoritism in (a person); influence, especially unfairly: Electronics. to apply a steady voltage or current to (the input of an active device).

Bias Synonyms/Antonyms Predisposition Preconception Predilection Partiality proclivitybent LeaningprejudiceSlant SpinDiagonal Antonyms - impartiality.

How do people form bias? A bias is similar to judging someone based on a situation or circumstance which may or may not be something they can control. Sometimes it is learned – we believe that way, because our parents did information-processing shortcuts errors in judgment social attribution (People try to explain and understand the world around them and to seek reasons for a particular event) Memory motivational factors social influence reliability of anecdotal and legal evidence.

Why do you need to understand bias, and how to identify it????? REMEMBER: When determining if someone or something being bias, it is not only about what is being reported but how it is being reported

Suppose that while researching nutrition, you run across the following: “Vitamin A is an important nutrient. It is used to make rhodopsin, a pigment in our eyes. Thus, Vitamin A is necessary for healthy vision. People can develop night blindness if they do not get enough of it. Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A. Carrots should be a part of your daily diet.” At first, this paragraph seems to offer good information. Would you be more skeptical if you learned that it was written by people who grow carrots commercially? How would your opinion change?

Bias Is Everywhere Bias is a subjective way of thinking that tells only one side of a story, sometimes leading to inaccurate information or a false impression. When you research, it is crucial that you identify the level of bias in potential sources. Below are some possible sources of bias. The writer is relying on incomplete information. The writer is trying to deceive the reader. The writer wants to believe what he or she is saying. The writer’s past experience is influencing his or her thinking. The writer is trying to persuade the reader. In the passage, the writer does not mention that ingesting too much vitamin A can make people sick. that eggs and sweet potatoes are also good sources of vitamin A.

An important skill of critical reading is the ability to detect an author's bias and prejudice. The reason you need to be able to do this, of course, is that bias and prejudice may invalidate an author's claim. There are several ways to detect an author's possible bias and prejudice, for example: the author uses inflammatory language: in the most extreme cases, racial epithets, slurs, etc.; the author consistently makes claims whose larger purpose is to elevate (or demean) one social, ethnic, national, religious, or gender group as compared to another, or all others; the author consciously presents evidence that serves to tell only one side of an event or issue, purposefully withholding or ignoring information that may shed the opposing view in a more positive light; the author manufactures, falsifies and/or dishonestly cites evidence in order to present his or her case in a more positive light.

Bias and prejudice may be the result of national pride and chauvinism personal or professional pride a specific agenda he or she wishes to support the author's ignorance Please note that bias and prejudice, although they may invalidate an author's claims, do not necessarily disqualify that author's work as a suitable subject for consideration. If you do include references to biased and prejudiced works, however, be sure to qualify your references by pointing to the works' underlying bias.

When writing about history, our ability to detect and identify such bias and prejudice is a valuable and necessary skill: Ever heard of : The War of Northern Aggression The Battle of Manassas Junction The Invasion of North America The Massacre at Sand Creek How about : The Civil War The Battle of Bull Run The Colonization of North America The Battle at Little Big Horn To the victor goes the R-I-G-H-T to W-R-I-T-E the history

TYPES OF BIAS FOUND IN MEDIA

Bias by Commission: A pattern of passing along assumptions or errors that tend to support a view. This is the most common form of bias. Within the space or time limit constraining them, reporters are supposed to provide roughly equal time to presenting the best arguments of both sides of an issue. If liberals say "A" and conservatives say "B" then the story should summarize both perspectives views, so that a news consumer could make up his own mind about which perspective makes more sense.

Bias by Omission: Ignoring facts that tend to disprove claims, or that support the other side’s beliefs.

Bias by Story Selection highlighting news stories that coincide with the agenda of one side while ignoring stories that coincide with the agenda of the other.

Bias by Placement: placing news stories so as to downplay information supportive of one side’s views Does a story appear across the top half of the front page, or is it buried back with the obituaries and the horoscopes? The news they consider most important and/or most likely to sell papers goes "above the fold" on the front page, where it can be read as the newspaper sits on the rack. Less important stories go on the bottom half of the first page, on the first page of other sections of the paper, on page two or three, and so on. can occur with television or radio news -- making a story the lead versus running it 25 minutes into an hour-long newscast Another form is the placement of facts within a story. Newspaper stories are usually written in a "pyramid" style -- that is, the most important facts are supposed to appear early in the story, with each paragraph a little less important than the previous paragraph. Newspapers use that style for two reasons: (a) so that editors, editing a story to fit the available space, can cut from the bottom up, and (b) so that the average reader will get the most important facts. Editors know that, the farther down you go in a news story, the fewer readers you have.

Bias by the Selection of Sources: Including more sources in a story who support one view over another. seen when a reporter uses such phrases as "experts believe," "observers say," or "most people think.“ Quoting an expert by name does not necessarily add to the credibility of a story, because the reporter may choose any "expert" he wants. Experts in news stories are like expert witnesses in trials If you know whether the defense or the prosecution called a particular expert witness to the stand, you know which way the witness will testify..

Bias by Spin: Emphasizing aspects of a policy favorable to one side without noting aspects favorable to the other side

Bias by Labeling: Attaching a label to one side but not to other using more extreme labeling for one side than for the other identifying a person or group as an "expert" or as independent.