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Bias
What is it and How Do I treat it?
History is Written by the Winners?
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History is the study of the past. But can it be
complete and true?
Writing history means that selection and
rejection of material will occur.
Who gets a voice determines how we
understand and relate to our past.
Bias or Perspective
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The ultimate goal is to record events as
accurately as possible. However, one person’s
opinion or perspective can be seen by others
as a bias.
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Bias: an inclination or preference that makes it
difficult to judge fairly in a particular situation.
Name and Claim
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There are three types of bias:
 Unconscious bias - unaware of bias, often based on
ignorance
 Deliberate bias - aware of bias, used for manipulation
and based on prejudice. (Propaganda)
 Informed bias - aware of bias, makes it explicit in a
statement, makes an effort to include all perspectives and
be objective. This approach focuses on the use of reason.
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Some of the most common ways bias can be
identified:
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Methods: What sort of materials did the historian
examine? Is there a balance?
Social Views: What does the author saw about the
changes in society of the centuries? (Whig or Tory)
Political / economics: Does the author argue that the
world has been governed by economics as a tool of
progress or as a tool of oppression. (Marxist)
Language: What kinds of words are used. The words one
says and writes can be a tool to empower or enslave.
(Discourse)
Where Does it come From?
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Every author carries with him or her influences, which make
his or her work biased.
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These things include:
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personal history
societal standards and pressures
education
power
BC/AD to BCE/CE
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Example of cultural bias
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B.C. = Before Christ
A.D. = Latin for Anno Domini
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“year of our lord”
B.C.E. = Before Common Era
Word Choice
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Can reveal bias.
Can be misleading.
What is the basic idea being presented?
Is there an easier or less suggestive way to get
the information across?
Lyndon B. Johnson
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"I hear the headlines on the radio, see them on
TV and read them in the paper. When I hear
from the men out there, I sometimes don't
believe they are talking about the same
situation."
Hockey Game Coverage
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The Denver Post
Injury begins Avs'
tumble.
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The Detroit News
Wings are too much for
Avalanche.
The War In Iraq
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CNN’s Iraq page:
http://www.umich.edu/
~newsbias/cnniraq.htm
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Dar Al Hayat’s page:
http://www.umich.edu/
~newsbias/Dar%20Al
%20Hayat.htm
Same Story?
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The New York Times
Iraq forces
suspension of U.S.
surveillance flight
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USA Today
U.N. Withdraws U-2
Planes
Who Has it?
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Beyond the author, every eyewitness or other
source about an event the author might use
carries the same biases.
The author is, in one sense, adding biases to
biases.
So how can we know the truth?