How to Identify Bias
Bias isn’t the same as spreading false information.
You’ll notice that some media outlets, whether print or digital, tend to lean towards one political agenda, i.e. they’re more progressive, conservative, or make a push for specific issues like climate change.
Media outlets are supposed to distinguish opinion from news. Both are legitimate. But sometimes media outlets don’t tell you what’s what. Watch out for opinion pieces that lack facts and be wary of news pieces that seem to argue an opinion.
Political preferences can sometimes bias the way journalists cover and write stories, especially stories about politicians and parties.
But, that’s not always the case. There are many trustworthy news sources that go through a rigorous fact-checking process. They try to write stories that don’t favour one party over another. They will write critical stories about all the leaders from all political parties instead of focussing on one.
Most of Canada’s major news outlets will have their own special fact-checking articles about the ads and statements of political parties and leaders. You can use these to find out if the ads you are seeing are truthful.
When we go looking for more information on something, we tend to pick and choose sources that confirm our existing beliefs or views on that topic or idea. You may not even notice you’re doing it, but it’s one of the reasons misinformation (fake news!) online can work so well. It’s in our nature, which means it can affect everyone and anyone. Bottom line - it is important to check sources even when you think “that has got to be true.”
What is Confirmation Bias?
Anecdote vs. Evidence
Anecdotes are individual stories that we tell to make a point. They can be great ways to build support for something we believe. They are not the same as “evidence” which is based on not just one story but many stories combined together to create a set of proven data.
For example, you would not judge your best friend based on the one time they forgot your birthday. However, if they did it ten years in a row – well that’s a different story.
Politicians use anecdotes the same way to make points. Ask yourself if it’s just one event or if the story reflects a bigger trend.
It’s more difficult to recognize bias if you only get your news from one source.
It’s often good practice to check multiple outlets covering the same story and see what the differences are.
Media bias is something you should be aware of. Recognizing it will help you to be better informed. Bias comes in many forms. Here are some things that you should look out for:
Headlines that don’t match up to the content
Bias in extreme language and tone
Use of photographs that are unflattering, or don’t match up to the text
Emphasis on certain stories
Not sure if a news source is biased? No worries. You can use the FAIR checklist as a guide. If you’re worried about the media outlet as a whole, Media Bias/Fact Check is an independent website that allows you to search for any publication to understand its political bias, and whether it has a history of being balanced in its reporting.
To back it up, we asked around and found that
42%
of people felt they read online news every day or at least once a week that had deliberately false info in it.
45%
felt that they had encountered misleading or biased info every day or at least once a week.
40%
read inflammatory or intentionally provoking content at least once a week, if not every day.
Just because you’re coming across weird news that doesn’t make sense doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it.
46%
of people who have come across news that didn’t look right checked and cross-referenced it on a different site.
3 in 4
who did found it to be effective.
1 in 4
Canadians report trusting Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to act in the best interest of the public, about half trust CBC, CTV and Radio Canada.
And that’s exactly how you take matters into your own hands and empower yourself with accurate news.