English 301 Week 2

 "I worry about the potential of online news to be dangerously narrow. People who read a paper paper have to flip through a lot of international news before they get to what they think they’re interested in. They at least glance at the headlines, and maybe they read a few stories they hadn’t expected to. More and more, online news sources will give them only what they wanted in advance. If they've checked Sports or Celebrities, those stories will come up first. Custom filters are going to make Americans even more ignorant than they already are, which is plenty.”

Ann Fadiman

, if readers reviewed the facts and concluded that the difference in metro numbers indicated that Obama was more popular than Trump, they would be making an inference—a conclusion about what they didn’t know based on what they did. But do we really know why people did or did not ride the metro? There may be other, equally compelling explanations for the facts we have. Unlike facts, inferences are open to debate. Inferences An inference is a conclusion we draw based on the facts we know.

While we may be able to come up with several different possibilities to explain what we know, the best inference will account for all the available facts. Some people are tempted to believe that since competing inferences exist, all inferences are equally valuable, but that is not the case. Inferences that ignore the facts or inferences that are based on a small selection of facts will be flawed.

REMEMBER: Most arguments are less over facts than over misinterpretations of language.

arguments are, in a manner of speaking, inherently biased, so the question of how much bias is acceptable is a non sequitur. Evaluating an argument on how little bias it contains is like evaluating pizza on how little pizza it contains. Instead, when we evaluate arguments, we examine the quality of its reasoning. We ask how well the evidence proves the claims, we look for logical fallacies, and we examine the assumptions it makes

The level of “acceptable bias” is a subjective concept depending on who is writing, who is reading, and what is being written about, but we can say that it generally increases as we move down the continuum. We’ll revisit this idea below

Fake News:

Regardless of the motives, studies show that false stories not only spread more quickly across platforms than true stories, they spread more widely and persist longer than factual stories (Meyer). In recent years, such stories have been labeled fake news—fictitious stories designed to look like legitimate news articles. However, recently the term has also been used by some to call into question any news story with which they may disagree, confusing a factual question—can the facts in the story be verified—with a question of judgment—do I agree with or like the news story

1. Pay attention to the domain and URL. . For example, abcnews.com is a legitimate news source, but abcnews.com.co is not, despite its similar appearance
2. Read the “About Us” section Most sites will have a lot of information about the news outlet, the company that runs it, members of leadership, and the mission and ethics statement behind an organization. The language used here is straightforward. If it’s melodramatic and seems overblown,
3. Look at the quotes in a story Or rather, look at the lack of quotes. Most publications have multiple sources in each story who are professionals
4. Look at who said them Then, see who said the quotes, and what they said. Are they a reputable source with a title that you can verify through a quick Google search? 
5. Check the comments A lot of these fake and misleading stories are shared on social media platforms. Headlines are meant to get the reader’s attention 
6. Reverse image search

BIAS

when bias clouds our judgment or unfairly privileges one group or individual over another, it becomes problematic

If I choose to write about the Red Sox, for example, I’ve expressed a bias in favor of that team over other baseball teams, other sports teams, and even over other possible topics. Even the words I use to discuss a subject reveal to one extent or another my bias—what I value

Phyllis Rose said, “There is no neutrality. There is only greater or lesser awareness of one’s bias."

...appeals to emotion and personal preference are not inherently bad, but writers who purposely manipulate language to incite or mislead their readers act irresponsibly.

...overt bias clouds the issue and prevents clear communication.

the top of the journalistic continuum is pure reporting meant to inform facts with very little interpretation or coloring and bias is managed and minimalized. The bottom of the continuum is the realm of opinion, where bias is allowed because having a bias—that is, taking a side on an issue—is integral to making an argument.

Journalists don’t seek to get rid of all bias in their writing because they know it can’t be done. Instead, they seek to carefully manage their biases, keeping them within acceptable limits. 2. The level of “acceptable bias” is a subjective concept depending on who is writing, who is reading, and what is being written about, but we can say that it generally increases as we move down the continuum. We’ll revisit this idea below

ACCEPTABLE BIAS:

Days later, when it becomes clear the scare was a full-blown crash, and reporters have interviewed those who lost their investments or retirement savings, it is probably okay for a journalist to label the event a “tragedy,” even though doing so introduces a degree of interpretation of the facts. We’d call that level of bias acceptable because almost anyone, regardless of whether they are liberal or conservative, would agree that the event is indeed a tragedy.

GOALS

  >Recognize the difference between fact, inference, and judgment. 

• Explain the relationship between credible information and reliable inferences. 

• Recognize bias and the differences between bias and misinformation

• Critically evaluating the information we consume takes time and effort. Why do it?
• Why is it important to be sensitive to bias or to recognize the difference between a factual news story and fictitious claims?
• What steps will you take to become a more critical reader?

 we all are flawed critters and we have to attend to our affairs without the benefit of perfection. But attending to our affairs means attending to our minds, and learning to recognize facts, inferences and judgments [is] a good start toward a mental tune-up. See if you can pick them out of the speeches and news accounts. It’s as much fun as working crossword puzzles

Think of a time when you changed your mind or reconsidered a position you had taken for granted—when you recognized and corrected your own bias. What allowed you to entertain another perspective? 

How can you best recognize and manage your own biases?

ANS: Ask, "Lord is it I?" I need to be more brave and stop avoiding answers that I don't want to hear. REMEMBER: "...and oft escaped the tempter's snare by thy return sweet hour of prayer." I can manage my biases a whole lot better with God then without Him.

• Reflect on a time when you may have jumped to a conclusion—made an inference without considering all the necessary facts.

ANS: John has lied in the past therefore I can never trust him or what he says or will say. Or fat people are lazy and/or eat too much.

• How might your judgment have changed given more information?

ANS: Over time I have learned that there is more to consider when it comes to liars and fat people. Why? is a good question to ask. 

• How can you avoid this type of error in the future?

ANS: The more I learn the more compassion I feel and the less likely I am to jump to conclusions next time.