Notes on misinformation and bias

Definition of misinformation and disinformation

A journalist’s job is to seek out the truth. But there are different kinds of truths.

Quantifiable truth: has the death penalty led to a decrease in homicides in your state? A reporter could gather statistics and information and conceivably come up with an answer to this question.

Philosophical truths: is the death penalty just? Should the state have the power to execute people? These are ethical/philosophical questions that an objective reporter really can’t answer.

It is always a journalist’s job to think critically. This is especially important when dealing with misinformation from any source, online or otherwise. If something sounds odd or suspicious, check it out.

Be careful to distinguish fact from opinion. At many news sites there is a lot of overlap between the two. Just watch prime time cable news shows and you’ll see what I mean. Keep in mind what a wise person once said: everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Everyone is not entitled to their own facts.

And just because someone is shouting the loudest doesn’t mean what they are saying is true. Millions of people believe the 2020 election was stolen. But what does the hard evidence actually show?

At its best, journalism should be like science. Scientists must subject their theories to rigorous scrutiny and experimentation before calling them facts. Journalists should do the same.

Assignment

1. Look at the four websites below and then rank them in order of how biased they are, with 1 being the most biased and 4 being the least biased. Explain your rankings.

BBC

CNN   

Daily Kos

Town Hall

Gateway Pundit
 

2. Find an example of bias on each site and describe it.

3. See if you can find an example of misinformation or disinformation on any of the sites. Describe it.