Bias

Bias and Propaganda

Bias

• Bias- when a person has a strong feeling for or against something

Understanding Bias

What do I know about the author?1.

Think about the following:

What is his or her motivation for writing?

Who published this piece? Who wants you to read it?2.

What type of propaganda does the author use?3.

What is your opinion?4. Where can you find more information on this topic?

Types of Propaganda

3. Ethical Appeal

After carefully considering both sides of the story, I agree

1. Emotional Appeal

Don’t use X Brand toys. They can harm your children.

Authors appeal to readers’ emotions.

2. Logical Appeal

16 out of 20 teenagers at my school prefer energy drinks to soda.

Authors convince with facts and reasoning.

That is why I think we should have energy drinks in the vending machines.

Authors present themselves as credible and trustworthy.

with the congresswoman from Massachusetts.

Types of Propaganda (continued)

6. Testimonials

I am happiest when I have Happy Hal’s orange juice in the morning!

4. Rhetorical Questions

How can you feel safe without a dog guarding your home?

Authors use questions just to make a point.

5. Glittering Generalities

No other book can entertain and educate everyone so well.

Authors describe something in glowing terms.

“Real” people endorse a product based on their own experience.

Types of Propaganda (continued)

8. Overstatement

It was such a good movie! I must have seen it 1,000 times this summer!

Authors exaggerate for effect.

9. Bandwagon

Your friends have the latest x232 cell phone. Why don’t you?

“Everybody’s doing it!”

7. Repetition

Dr. Smith is a knowledgeable doctor. He became a doctor to help people.

Authors repeat certain words or phrases to convey a certain idea.

As a doctor, he travels the world to offer medical assistance to those in need.

Guided Practice with Bias and Propaganda

Dear Editor, I’m writing because I felt infuriated after reading the article titled, “It’s a Free Country, Not a Smoke-free City” published last Sunday. I quit smoking the day my mother died from lung cancer, and my health and my family’s health has changed dramatically for the better. I won’t stand by while smokers slap the wrists of those of us who care about our health.

All public places in this city should be smoke-free precisely because it is a free country. How can I practice my freedom to breathe when a room or the outside air is filled with smoke from selfish fellow citizens?

 Sincerely,

Vehemently Smoke-Free

Guided Practice with Bias and Propaganda

What do I know about the author?What is his or her motivation for writing?

Who wants you to read it?

What type of propaganda does the author use?

What is your opinion?Where can you find more information on this topic?

Who published this piece?

Answers to Guided Practice

What do I know about the author? What is his or her motivation for writing?

The author had a mother who died of lung cancer, and he or she disagrees with smokers who think they have the right to smoke anywhere. The author’s motivation is to present an argument in opposition to that of the previously published article.

Who published the piece? Who wants you to read it?

The newspaper published the letter. They likely chose to publish this letter out of many others for a particular reason. Perhaps they wanted to offer an alternative view from the one presented in the article, “It’s a Free Country, Not a Smoke-free City.”

What types of propaganda does the author use?

Testimonial, emotional appeal, ethical appeal, rhetorical question

What is your opinion? Where can you find more information on this topic?

To form your opinion, you could read the original article, look up statistics about lung cancer and smoking, and try to find out more about the city’s policies.

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