Bias is when a statement reflects a partiality, preference, or prejudice for or against a person, object, or idea.

Much of what you read and hear

expresses a bias.

Bias is when a writer or speaker uses a selection of facts, choice of words, and the quality and tone of description, to convey a particular feeling or
attitude. Its purpose is to convey a certain attitude or point of view toward the subject. As you read or listen to biased materials, keep the following
questions in mind.
 What facts has the author omitted?
 What additional information is necessary?
 What words create positive or negative impressions?
 What impression would I have if different words had been used?

How do you detect it?

Word choice can demonstrate bias, and understanding the difference between objective and subjective tone of an author will increase the reader’s
ability to pick out any bias displayed by the author.

Let’s study the following sentences:

 Nelson Mandela was a political and anti-apartheid activist.
 Nelson Mandela was a sore spot in the South African establishment’s side.

Bias can represent both positive and negative emotions. With a positive bias, you are considered to be biased for someone or something. With a
negative bias, you are considered to be biased against someone or something.

 My class consists of the smartest, most responsible and most-behaved students in the sophomore level.
 Mr. Arellano’s students are loud and obnoxious and are inattentive to their teachers during their classes.

Again, how can we easily tell that the author is being biased?
There is one basic rule for this. A story or an idea should present both sides- the positive and the negative, and both points shall be treated equally.

Bias is a subjective way of thinking that tells only one side of a story, sometimes leading to inaccurate information or a false impression.

Biases can be also found in different ways. They can be spotted through the following:
1. Word choice and connotation
As a writer, you can influence your readers’ opinions with the words you choose. The connotations of your chose words determine whether your text
is biased or unbiased.
 The rebellious teen was unaware of the seriousness of his actions.
 The teen was unaware of the seriousness of his actions.

2. Names and Titles

The way a person is described or labeled can influence how we think about him or her.
Example:
 James Addams, an ex-con, is now running for office.
 James Addams, who was convicted 20 years ago for a minor offence, is now running for office.

3. Placement and size

Usually, stories in a newspaper or on a news program that are chosen to be put first are seen as the most important stories. Stories that appear at
the back of a newspaper or at the end of a broadcast are seen as less important.
Example:
If a story about the disaster in the Philippines is on the front page of the newspaper, it will be seen as important. If the story about the typhoon in the
Philippines is buried at the back of the paper, it will be regarded as less important.

4. Selection or omission
Sometimes, certain details or facts will be cut out of a story, and others will be included. This can change how readers/viewers think about the story.
Make sure to consider multiple sources to get the full story.
Example:
For an example, there will be a new factory to be built within your city. Many people might not agree with it for it may cause some issues like pollution
in the environment. To voice out their protest, they post “Say No to the Factory” on social media without telling the entire story about the new factory
to be built.

5. Images and videos

Some photos can make the subject look serious, beautiful, healthy, and so on. Other photos, however, can be very unflattering and make the subject
look ridiculous, sick, etc. The image of someone in the news can influence how people think about him or her.