1. A Perspective or Point of View
Bias
A Perspective or Point of View

2. What is Bias? The point of view from which a text is presented.
Perspective vs Point of View vs Bias vs Slant
Positive / neutral connotation
Negative connotation

3. How does the bias of a text influence your understanding of it?
Why Does Bias Matter?
Every text has a bias!
Determine the bias to determine the message.
Believability
Reliability
Credibility
How does the bias of a text influence your understanding of it?

4. Every Text Has a Bias! Nothing can be completely neutral
Every text is created by a real human being.
Humans place their beliefs into their work.

5. Clear communication achieved.
Rhetorical Triangle
Speaker/writer
Clear communication achieved.
Audience
Subject

6. Clear communication achieved.
Triangle - Persuasion
Speaker/Writer - Ethos
Clear communication achieved.
Audience - Pathos
Subject – Logos

7. Rhetorical Triangle - Deluxe
Speaker/Writer/Persona - Ethos
PURPOSE
TONE
Clear communication achieved.
Subject/message –Logos
Audience - Pathos
MEDIUM

8. Your Job as Reader Put aside YOUR bias. Read for the text’s bias
This is REALLY hard!
Read for the text’s bias
Structural and word choice clues

9. 3) Determine HOW they expressed their bias.
Read and view CRITICALLY (meaning SPECIFICALLY)
4) Propose WHY they created what they created.
What was the author’s purpose with this text?

16. Bias is Not Inherently BAD!!
It is too simplistic to simply say about a text “that is biased” and then NOT pay attention to it.
A strong reader will do the following:

17. Good readers….. Put aside their bias. Read for the text’s bias.
Look for facts
Look for opinions
Look at word choice
Look at ISN’T in the text (ummmm…weird?)

18. Good readers… 3) Determine how the authors expressed his or her bias.
4) Propose WHY they used THAT bias on THAT piece for THAT purpose.

19. Detecting Bias Who is the author, and what is his or her background?
What was the author’s intent in writing the piece? Did this influence his or her point of view?
Who is the intended audience? How might this have biased the writing?
How might the period in which the author was writing have shaped his or her view of the events or issues being discussed?

20. Are the writer’s statements based on solid factual evidence or speculation?
Do other sources on the same topic support or challenge the view presented?
Are sufficient facts presented to provide a firm basis for the argument?
Which words or phrases in the article reflect the author’s bias?
How to make this memorable…….

21. Remember….SOAPStone S – Subject O – Occasion A – Audience P – Purpose
What is the subject of this piece?
O – Occasion
Why / when was this piece written?
A – Audience
Who is the intended audience?
Are YOU the intended audience?
P – Purpose
What was the intended purpose of this piece?

22. SOAPStone S – Speaker Tone – Tone! Who is telling the story?
What is the author’s tone toward the subject?

23. HOW? Listen to word choice Listen to “music” Look at “colors”
Think about what you already know about people’s opinions on the issues!

24. Let’s Practice!

25. Pairs of Documentaries
War in Iraq

26. Climate Change

27. Education

28. Gun Control

29. American History?

30. The Media We mean…NEWS Television Radio Newspapers Magazines
Internet versions

31. Spectrum of Media

32. On-Line Media Sources

33. Special Interest Groups

35. News Reporting vs News Opinion

36. Headlines Online…

37. Bias? Point of View?

38. Suggestions Find “least biased” sources.
Find “news reporting” versus “news opinion” sources
Read and think for selves.
Primary sources vs secondary sources
Sift through bias like we have mentioned before!

39. Suggestions Get your information from a MENU of sources.
Beware of the “outliers”
ONE scientist said this…
ONE study said this…
Check who is funding, writing, supporting the studies, texts, or speakers.

40. Elmer Fudd on….gun control?
Stewie on…..parenting?
Simon Cowell on…..amateur singers?

41. Point of News? To accurately report information To inform…
About events
About people
To inform…
To persuade?

42. “Mainstream Media”
Current claim that “mainstream media” is overly liberal…..
Meaning…..
Favorable coverage of Democrats
Unfavorable coverage of Republicans

43. True?
Who owns these media outlets?
NBC…
CBS…
ABC…
FOX…

44. Big Business?
Will big business tend to be more liberal or conservative?
Therefore….

45. 2008 Election
Sarah Palin argued that Katie Couric (from the “gotcha” media) hounded her because CBS is “on the left”
Palin – Republican Vice-presidential Candidate
Couric– CBS Correspondent

46. Newspapers?
What newspapers might you read?

47. Supreme Court Cases?
What Supreme Court case names do you know?

48. “Gotcha Media”?

49. A Perspective or Point of View
Bias
A Perspective or Point of View