How do we recognize, evaluate, and respond to bias in the sources we find?

Question

Is bias in our own work necessarily a bad thing? Can we, as researchers and writers, be honest about our subjectivity without sacrificing our ethos? How?

Answer 1

When writing anything in a biased manner we create the opportunity to create or change people's opinions about a certain matter to match our own. The term bias means to have a preference for a certain view, in reports some will change facts slightly to be in-line with their own views, this can be done on an unconscious or conscious level.  It is one thing to change the solid statistical numbers, but another when wording the sentences for the survey or choosing the participants of the study. There are always variables that can hinder the neutrality of the research being conducted. This brings in another entire different question "Is telling a half-truth the same a lying?"  If you can answer that question, then you can answer your question about whether or not being biased is a bad thing. We can avoid bias by simply stating the facts and writing in an objective, third-party, neutral view.

Answer 2

The basic flaw in communication lies in the fact that modern mental health, with its denial of the Esoteric realities  within Man, has failed to convey the fact that how one views something depends upon whether or not ones MIND [which is not ones brain] holds what is being viewed as a threat or not?  Ones bias is not even cognitive in other words.

Short of undergoing a course that would help one discover ones fears and thus remove and prevent  those fears from distorting ones views of reality... one is subject to being biased by a MIND one is unaware of, and fears one cannot see or realize one even has.

Such a course would be a wonderful asset to truth, of course, but since many, especially in reporting, are too fearful of opening themselves to their fears... such a course is unlikely to be initiated.

The answer to your question therefore is... there is no way to not do what your MIND causes you to do in protecting you from some delusional fear your MIND holds within itself, and of which you are fully unaware.

Peace

Answer 3

You can look at the language, and whether its loaded, without there being back-up. Consider other possible word choices, slanted the opposite way, and neutral word choices. Does the piece stand up, or does it become absurd?

Sometimes you can't recognize bias unless you have more than one source from various points of view. If I give evidence that only points one way, unless you happend to know about what I'm leaving out, you can't necessarily spot it. That's why it's good to use sources from a variety of points of view.

Bias in our own work? Depends on exactly what you mean. For instance a pro "All humans are human and have the right of self-determination" bias is NOT, in my view, a bad thing at all.

The sort of bias that neglect legitimate views and evidence, however, is. The way to avoid it is to include them. Don't over-state, for instance. Word generalizations accuraly "More men than women" rather than "Men" for instance.

Rethink your conclusions to be consistent with all evidence, not just cherry-picked evidence.

And the other is to state your biases upfront (as with the "humans are human" example, or even less defensible or universally biases).