They have waged a relentless, far-reaching disinformation campaign about vaccines that has saturated the search results. Media Matters, however, has a near-impeccable track record since its founding in 2004. Some communications experts argue that all writing is biased because all truth is filtered through human perception, which is subjective. Suppose, for example, that you’re a Libertarian; the one premise that you’re probably devoted to above all is “limited government”. A little-known phenomenon called confirmation bias, helps us make good decisions, but also leads us to buy into information that supports our existing beliefs. I run an entire blog on the topic of social media propaganda at Occupy Propaganda – the title being a spoof on a whole bunch of “Occupy” titled propaganda and fake news web sites on Facebook.) But I don’t follow their reporting just because they are also left-leaning; there are many other sites that are more left-leaning, but since they are also less accurate and reliable, I generally don’t fool with them. It’s always a good idea to do an occasional quality check. That’s become a rather controversial topic, simply because anti-vaxxers have made it controversial. But being a “liberal” (if that is that correct term) doesn’t automatically cause me to adopt a position that other “liberals” maintain. And when your ideology is destructive, it’s going to be supported by destructive confirmation bias. Finally there’s memory bias, which prompts you to be selective and even creative in what you remember, for the sake of supporting your beliefs. They, in short, have exhibited blatant confirmation bias — which, as the name suggests, is a bias toward confirming the validity of your biases. How strictly do you adhere to it — are you willing, at least occasionally, to venture outside the iron fortress of conviction? Then there’s the second matter. Still, it’s a good idea to do periodic reality checks to make certain that your sources are still reliable — sometimes a once-reliable source can become considerably less so. Yes, it’s good that confirmation bias can, in some contexts, help us dispel fake news; but, at the end of the day, engaging this bias exhibits a lack of critical thinking. And you may know people who formerly were Democratic voters, but swiftly converted to Republican because they somehow became convinced that Republicans were more “pro-life”. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Even so, I have found a total of one occasion on which right-wing criticism of MMFA had a bit of validity to it. If you hear on the news that an undocumented immigrant was arrested in connection with indecent behavior with a minor, you might incorrectly remember — and tell others — that he was actually wanted for murder, and was arrested at the airport and heavily armed. Suppose you wanted to look up some information about vaccines. It’s because the public itself skews the search results. However, I still feel I’m on the right track when I criticize Trump’s character, because I’m backed up by fact checkers who have refuted far more lies told by Trump (about Democrats). Hybrid library for a hybrid semester: COVID-19 updates ». Lesson 3: "Confirmation and Other Biases. (I have to do quite a bit of it to research these articles.) Say you want to research whether a vegetarian diet is healthier than a carnivorous diet. ( Log Out /  You’ve no doubt seen it more times than you can count: a friend or relative shares something on social media that is manifestly erroneous, to the point of being self-parody. If the criminal is a murderer, for instance, it would be much more logical (if also absurd) to focus on the fact that he is male, since males commit by far the greater share of violent crimes, and thus gender is certainly a much more significant factor than immigration status. The first question is perhaps the trickiest to answer. This is not, as right-wingers so loudly insist, because the Silicon Valley elves deliberately stack the deck. Confirmation bias. --Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Newsweek, 25 August 1986, p. 27. https://guides.library.cornell.edu/evaluate_news. (This illustration is drawn from real life, by the way.). I presented myself as one of the faithful flock, making comments and interacting with the magazine’s editors. Confirmation bias; ... it is commonly excluded from mainstream de-bates on media bias. Existing beliefs can include one’s expectations in a given situation and predictions about a particular outcome. Anti-immigration bias isn’t just occasionally misguided like Libertarianism; it’s rooted entirely in bigotry and hate. ... To the extent the bias exists, it's in what they choose to cover, to whom they choose to talk, and what they imply in the way they arrange those facts they collect. Confirmation bias. This is a time when it’s especially risky to rely on highly biased reporting. "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." But when it comes to those anti-immigration folks, it’s hard to see anything positive in their bias if you know the facts; because their talking points are based on misconceptions and misinformation. Peter Johnson on Avoiding Confirmation Bias (Or… Avoiding Confirmatio… on Does the Internet “Censo… Avoiding Confirmatio… on The Great American Outrage Ind… Avoiding Confirmatio… on The Bad Logic of “Pro-Li… Avoiding Confirmatio… on The Sad Fall, and Still Furthe… Peter Johnson on A Nation Of Karens: P.O.P. And you sometimes have to step outside the cozy circle of your convictions. They have passed it on because they saw someone else pass it on, and it resonated with their beliefs, so they shared it without bothering to do one second of research about it. Vegetarian diet is healthier than a carnivorous diet comments, likes and shares, thus fuelling problem! Suppose you wanted to look perfectly snide as they say nasty and untrue things about Democrats after of... Argue that all writing is biased because all truth is filtered through human perception, is! Life, by the way. ) made about Trump ’ s referred to as spin an to! 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