Bias In Printmedia :: essays research papers

Print media provides its readers with information, but what the reader very often does not recognize is the bias within the articles. Bias is not so easily recognized. Writers have the gift to blend the bias in with their work. It is so well done, that in order to see the bias, one must thoroughly analyze the article. A person must also know what the types of bias are and how they are used. There are many different types of bias that are used in health related articles such as statistics and crowd counts, word choice and tone, and through omission. Print media demonstrates these types of bias in many articles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One method of bias being used is print media is through statistics and crowd counts. A writer can manipulate the reader into thinking that the results are very high or very low in some cases. In The Toronto Star on October 23, 1999, the article â€Å" Pregnancy biggest threat to women, V.N. says† uses statistics to give an estimation, â€Å" an estimated 585,000 women do every year†. This article explains how pregnancy affects many women. By using this statistic, it gives the reader an approximation, but not an exact number. This is used to make the reader think that the statistic is very high. Another article in The Toronto Star, â€Å"Tamil health crisis probed†, on October 29, 1999,demostrates bias by saying, â€Å" At least 70,000 people†. The article is talking about the Tamil community and how 70,000 people have been affected, but it does not give the amount of people in that community. This type of bias is often used in print med ia to make an article more important than it is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bias through word choice and tone is often used in print media sources. By choosing specific words, the writer can easily influence the reader’s opinion about the article. Certain words give the reader a different meaning. In an article, â€Å"Health care to receive $3.8 billion injection†, in The Toronto Star, on October 22, 1999, the Governor, Hilary Weston, is reading a passage from a â€Å"throne speech† given by the government to introduce a Patient’s Bill of Rights. By using the word, throne, the writer suggests that the speech given is very important. During this speech, there is a â€Å"caucus chuckle† from a Liberal at the meeting. The writer uses caucus to indicate that it is more than a normal chuckle during an important speech.