Bias Notes

Bias Shapes What We Notice And What We Believe

1. Every text, whether it is a speech, an advert, a news report, or a biography, is the result of choices.
2. Writers and speakers choose what to include, what to leave out, and how to present information.
3. Those choices can create bias, which affects how audiences interpret events and decide what is true, fair, or important.
4. In English Language and Literature, analysing bias is not about deciding whether a text is "good" or "bad."
5. It is about recognizing the point of view a text promotes, the methods used to promote it, and how those methods influence an audience.

Objectivity, Subjectivity, And Bias Are Related But Not The Same

Texts often get described as objective or subjective, but these terms are best understood as a spectrum rather than two boxes.

1. A text can be subjective without being "wrong" (for example, a personal review), and a text can appear objective while still being biased (for example, by presenting only one set of facts).

Bias Often Works By Sounding Reasonable

1. Many readers expect bias to look like angry language or obvious insults.
2. In reality, bias is often more effective when it feels calm, factual, and "balanced." A biased text may:
   1. Use a formal tone and factual vocabulary to gain trust
   2. Include a few "safe" facts, then attach a strong interpretation
   3. Use statistics or examples without context
   4. Quote some voices and exclude others

Language Choices Reveal Attitudes Through Connotation

1. Loaded language is language with strong positive or negative associations (connotations).
2. Two words can refer to a similar idea but guide readers to opposite judgements.

Euphemism Can Hide The Reality Of Something

1. A euphemism replaces a harsh or unpleasant idea with a softer expression (for example, "passed away" instead of "died").
2. Euphemisms can be polite, but in persuasive contexts they can also reduce the emotional impact of a disturbing reality.

Persuasive Techniques Can Signal Bias In Speeches

1. A persuasive speech often mixes emotional appeal with claims that sound factual.

Opinion Stated As Fact Encourages Agreement

1. One strong indicator of bias is opinion stated as fact: evaluative statements presented like undeniable truths.

1. When a speaker presents conclusions as certainties, audiences may feel there is nothing to debate.

Rhetorical Questions Pressure The Audience

1. Rhetorical questions are questions asked to make a point rather than to receive an answer.
2. They can create the sense that "any sensible person would agree."

Rule Of Three Makes Ideas Memorable

1. The rule of three groups ideas in threes to create rhythm and emphasis. Lists of three often feel complete and convincing.

Asyndeton Speeds Up The Message

1. Asyndeton is the deliberate omission of conjunctions (like "and") in a list.
2. This can create speed, intensity, and the impression of overwhelming evidence.

Contrast Creates "Us Versus Them" Thinking

1. Contrast places two ideas side by side to make differences feel sharp and morally clear (for example, "we suffer, they benefit").
2. This can simplify complex situations into a binary choice.

Bias In Biography: The Illusion Of Neutral Life Writing

1. A biography is a life story written by someone other than the subject, usually in third person, largely in past tense, and often in chronological order.
2. Because it appears factual, readers may assume it is neutral. However, biographies frequently contain bias.
3. Biographers choose what moments to include, what to emphasize, and how to describe the subject and other people involved.

Authorized And Unauthorized Biographies Can Shape Bias Differently

1. An authorized biography is produced with the subject's permission (often with their input).
2. An unauthorized biography is produced without that approval.
3. Neither type is automatically more truthful.
   1. Authorization can increase access to information, but it can also encourage favourable framing.
   2. Lack of authorization can allow critique, but it may also increase reliance on limited sources.

A Practical Method: How To Analyse Bias In Any Text with PEEL

When you analyse bias, you are building an argument about how meaning is shaped. A reliable approach is to move from purpose to choices to effects.

Step 1: Identify Purpose, Audience, And Context

1. Ask:
   1. What does the creator want the audience to think, feel, or do?
   2. Who benefits if the audience accepts this message?
   3. What is the situation or debate the text responds to?

Step 2: Look For Choices That Reveal A Point Of View

1. Common "choice areas" include:
   1. Diction (word choice): loaded language, euphemisms, labels
   2. Structure: what comes first, what is repeated, what is missing
   3. Evidence: what counts as "proof," and what is not supported
   4. Voice and perspective: who is quoted or represented, who is silent
   5. Visual features (in multimodal texts): images, captions, layout, colour

Step 3: Explain The Intended And Likely Audience Effect

1. Bias matters because it changes audience judgement. Link a feature to an effect:
   1. Loaded labels can create admiration or disgust
   2. Rhetorical questions can discourage disagreement
   3. Selective examples can make one side seem typical and the other side rare

Writing About Bias Without Becoming Biased Yourself

1. When you write about bias, your goal is to be precise and fair. That means distinguishing between:
   1. What the text says (content)
   2. How it says it (methods)
   3. What that encourages the audience to believe (interpretation)

Putting it all together with PEEL

P: Point

1. Identify where bias is present and what type it is.

E: Evidence

1. Quote a word choice, image, statistic, or omission.

E: Explain

1. Explain:
   1. how this choice influences the reader
   2. which perspective is favoured

L: Link

1. Link to:
   1. the text’s purpose
   2. the message being promoted

Now it's your turn...