Checkpoint 7:

Is the information biased in any way?

There is often more than one way of looking at a piece of information.

Imagine a glass that has been filled to the half way line.

How would a person describe it?

There are two possible things they could say: it is half full, or it is half empty.

Both are correct, but the way it is said makes you think differently. If someone says it is half full you think of a nice full glass. But if someone says it is half empty you think of an empty glass.

Saying something in a certain way to make you think or believe a particular thing is called bias.

 

So what is bias?

Information that you get from a web site can be biased.

You should look at the information and decide if it is biased or unbiased. You need to think about why the author has created the web site.

Do they want you to think in a certain way or are they giving you lots of information so that you can make up your own mind?

There are many reasons why a site might give biased information. These include:

1. To advertise a product or service

2. To change how you think - probably to their point of view

People are biased when they give one opinion without looking at the other points of view.

You might be said to be biased if you like one picture best because your best friend painted it!

It is very difficult to be completely unbiased, but you must try to think of all the different sides.

 

For something to be unbiased it must give all the points of view so that you can make up your own mind.

It will consider many people's opinions or several sets of facts before giving the author's own point of view.

In this case, you may also be able to form your own opinions instead of just accepting that one set of information must be the "right one".

 

Take a look at this web site:

This web site looks very official, and it is true that carrots are good for you, but other vegetables should be eaten too.

Because it is made by the International Carrot Society they are biased towards getting you to eat carrots.

They have not given you a balanced view on the importance of carrots.

 

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