Examine Biases (for or

against) made by the

Author
Bias???
Bias ???
Bias???
What is …???
Bias
is the tendency of an individual to
have a positive or negative tendency
or liking towards or against
something. Showing bias prevents an
individual to approach an issue or
matter from neutral point of view.
Mike Enriquez
Biased Statement
“Jenna deserves
to be the school
valedictorian since
she is more intelligent
than Jane and
because Jenna is my
best friend.”
 Bias In Writing
• A prejudice against an author is writing about.

• Favoritism for something an author is writing

about.

• An author letting feeling or emotions cloud his/

her objectivity connecting something he/ she is
writing about.
Recognizing Bias
• Look for loaded words – words that are
charged with emotion ( whether positive or
negative) can reveal an author’s opinion about
his/her topic

Emotional Bias
• stem from impulse or intuition and tend to result
from reasoning influenced by feelings.
• are harder to connect for because they are
based on feelings which can be difficult to change.
Recognizing Bias

2. Watch out for stereotypes

-If the author labels an entire group, the writing is
probably biased.
-People are often biased against other outside of
their social group.
Examples:
 Black people to be more violent and tend to
engage more in crimes than the white people.
 People with tattoos are troublemaker and bad
people.
 Politician are all corrupt.
People with lighter skin complex are kinder and
more intelligent and more capable than those
with darker complexion.
 All Filipinos working abroad are domestic
helpers who can’t afford branded items.
 Recognizing Bias
3. Notice vague language or generalizations- if the
author isn’t using specific language, this could be an
indicator of bias.

Example:
Biased: Education do not consider each child’s
particular learning style when developing lesson.

Better: Some do not consider each child’s particular

learning style when developing lessons
Recognizing Bias
4. Be on the look out for one-side arguments- if the
author only presents one side of an arguments, his/
her writing is probably biased.
Example:
Biased: My daughter texts constantly, which shows
that teenagers use cell phones more than they did
in the past.
Better: Teenager’s use of cell phones, specifically
for texting, has increased 33% in the last 2 years (
Mcdonalds,2011).
Recognizing Bias
5. Does the author present facts or opinions?
Facts are what they are- the truth. But opinions can
be based on feelings, emotions, or prejudices, which
aren’t objective.
Words that denote Bias
Indicators of Biases

What is the author’s point of view on the issue?

What does the author stand to gain?
Does the author present the other side of the
story?

If yes, was the author objective in presenting the

other side of the matter?
An Example of Bias in Writing
Scenario 1:
You want to watch an upcoming thriller movie and
so you read movie reviews online. You came across the
blog of the famous movie critic. Cameron Panis Jr. He
isn’t a fan of Vince Disel, the star of the movie.
“Pandemic Revolution” because of an incident when
Vince spilled sauce on Cameron shoes. Although
Cameron enjoyed the movie he didn’t put on a good
review and commented that Vince Disel is a lousy actor
who just paraded his muscled body.
Scenario 2:
Minchin is interested in buying a new smartphone
since it will be needed for his online classes. She goes
to the All Phone Store and inquire about the latest A
Phone and series. Mr. Barnie the manager, discourages
Minchin from buying A Phone and stating its limitations
and keeps on showing Minchin different models of
phones. Minchin finds out that All Phones Store does
not sell A Phone series.
Writer should write objectively and inclusively to receive
respect and trust from readers, as well as to avoid alienating
readers. To be objective means to write with curiosity, rather
than having a present opinion, and to engage with research,
rather than presenting a personal preference.