Identifying Bias
1) Author
a) Who wrote it? (It could be an individual or an institution).
b) Google the author or institution to find out more about them. Once you know
more about the author, what is their stake in making this argument? In other
words, why do they care?
(For example, the president of the Plastic Bag Manufacturers Association of
America may be very knowledgeable about plastic bags, but his argument
against city-wide plastic bag bans would be biased because he has a stake in
protecting the plastic bag manufacturing industry.)
2) Publication
a) Who published it? (Sometimes the author and publisher are the same, as on
some websites or blogs)
b) Who pays to produce this publication or who sponsors it? What does that tell
you about the bias?
c) Who is the audience? What does that tell you about the bias?
3) Opposing Viewpoints
a) Does the author recognize a viewpoint that opposes his or her own? If so, what is
it?
b) Is that viewpoint presented objectively or emotionally?
c) List some quotations to support your claim.
4) Language
a) Does the author present his argument in extreme language? Does he write to
appeal to emotions? If so, provide some examples.
b) Does the author use value-laden terms that lend a negative impression (as in
‘illegal aliens’ versus ‘undocumented workers’). If so, provide some examples.
5) Overall, what would you say about the bias of this document?