Bias Essay, Research Paper

People read articles everyday, but they do not recognize that bias is being used to alternate their opinion. Readers are easily blinded by bias within print media because journalists are very good with blending the bias into their articles. Although bias is detectable, some types of bias are well disguised and hard to point out. Print media uses certain types of bias that can persuade a person into reading the article that may not concern them. There are many types of bias that are used in print media health issue articles. Print media shows bias through statistics and crowd counts, word choice and tone, and omission.

Bias by statistics and crowd count is used in print media. Journalists tend to use bias through statistics and crowd counts to influence the reader’s believability. The Globe and Mail on October 23, 1999 in an article called ” Ottawa organizing medical research with new $65-million agency. ” uses this bias by saying , ” dozens of scientists,” instead of telling us the exact number of scientists, they say “dozens” to make it seem a large number. There are many other print media sources that use this type of bias, such as Maclean’s and The Toronto Star .

On September 27, 1999 an article in Maclean’s called ” Dangerous product,” is showing crowd count by saying ” 400,000 Florida smokers.”. The journalist did not tell the reader the population of Florida. The Toronto Star on October 23, 1999 demonstrates this type of bias in an article called ” Pregnancy biggest threat to women, U.N. say. ” by saying, ” …an estimated 585,000 women die every year…”. The journalist does not tell us the exact number of women that die, but an estimate of it to make it seem large. Many of the articles within print media sources contain bias. Statistics and crowd counts are usually increased in print media articles to make them seem more extreme.

Word choice and tone is another form of bias used in print media. The choice of words can change a person’s opinion about the article. The words and the tone used can make a person agree or disagree with the opinion of the journalist. In The Globe and Mail on October 22, 1999 in an article called ” Health care to receive $3.8 billion injection.” shows bias through word choice when the journalist says ” The Liberal caucus chuckled when [ The Governor ] read a passage from the speech.”. This may give the reader the impression that the speech was not taken seriously. The Toronto Star on October 2,1999 an article ” Do doctors treat older people fairly?” uses word choice and tone by saying, “…her elderly mother is repeatedly rushed [ to the hospital ] …”. By using the word rushed the reader will get the impression that it is an emergency and by using the word “elderly” it influences the thought of old age and death. All these types of words and tones being used in print media gives the reader a mental picture or sense of how the situation is. Maclean’s uses bias through word choice and tone in an article on September 27, 1999 called ” An alternative to bypass surgery? ” by saying, “‘ [ a patient ] Gene Dopp, talks glowingly about his doctor.” The journalist gives the impression that all the patients are happy and satisfied with the doctors. Word choice and tone is one of many biases used in print media.

One of the major types of bias used in print media is omission. By omitting certain facts the article may seem more credible and more extreme. Writers limit and decide what the reader should know about a product either the good or the bad of it. The Globe and Mail on November 10, 1999 in an article called ” To your health.” tells its reader the advantage of drinking alcohol in the article. ” Light alcohol consumption may help repair liver damage,” but they do not include the disadvantages of drinking alcohol. On November 6, 1999 an article called ” Chronic sleep debt may raise risk of diabetes,” appeared in The Toronto Star shows bias through omission. The journalist says, ” The study involved 11 healthy young men inn their 20s to sleep four hours a night.” This tells the reader that chronic sleep loss may raise the risk of diabetes of young men but they did not mention about older women and men, location, and the race of the men. By omitting certain facts such as age, gender, location or race of the people an article can seem much different. Bias through omission is used by journalists to focus their article in one direction.

Bias can be used in many different ways in print media health issue articles. In order for a reader to recognize how these types of bias are being used they must know what types of bias there are. Bias in print media is shown through statistics and crowd counts, word choice and tone, and omission. Print media sources such as Maclean’s , The Toronto Star , and The Globe and Mail are some examples of demonstrating how these biases are being used. Statistics and crowd counts present an estimated amount of people or things. Bias by word choice and tone is used to influence the readers opinion. Bias by omission leaves a person unaware of the other story. When all these types of biases are evident, the article may not seem what it appeared to be.

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