About a year ago, I thought most people knew what bias meant. This is because the word has been frequently used over the past several years towards whichever opposing news media an anchor or pundit is complaining about. I figured because of that, most people at least had a good idea of what bias meant and maybe what it truly meant.
But as I taught the recent fall and spring semesters at the colleges I am an adjunct at, I learned that many do not know what bias means. And based on what I heard and witnessed, this is a big problem.
Firstly, in each class I taught, I would give a media literacy lesson just in time for the major research essay. Since I believe media literacy is so important these days, I felt teaching about it as students get ready to navigate the dark, sometimes sinister world, of the Internet and all its numerous sources of information, was good timing. And the best way to begin that lesson was to ask: “who can tell me what bias means?”
The following were the answers I received:
“An opinion.”
“When someone has an opinion about something.”
“When you have a strong opinion.”
*crickets*
Honestly, I was very surprised by how little my students, of various ages, knew about the word bias. They’ve certainly heard about it, but did not know exactly what it meant. This is problematic when that word is being used so much in regards to the news media and anyone who despises the news media that does not reflect their views. With the presidential election happening next year, chances are this word will come to the forefront of the news media and social media. But will enough people know its real definition?
OK, so what does bias mean anyway? It is when someone believes something so strongly that reasoning is not possible. That includes ignoring the facts that are being shown to them, listening to other points of views or arguments, and so on.
Below are two screenshots from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Dictionary.com to further explain:
So, there you go.
Aside from not knowing what bias really means, I find it disturbing that there are some who believe being biased means having an opinion. As if having an opinion is not a good thing. But the thing is, we all have opinions, every one of us, and if it’s not OK to believe having opinions is perfectly natural and part of everyday life, especially in a democracy, then there’s a problem going on. How can we vote in our elections if we don’t have an opinion on the issues at stake? How can we decide where we stand on major issues, be it abortion rights, book bannings, the many migrants coming into our country, gun reforms, etc., if we individually don’t have any opinions on these topics? Especially well-informed and carefully thought-out opinions? If any of us feel having an opinion means being biased, which is a bad thing, then how can we participate in our communities?
I also wonder where the idea that bias means having an opinion came from. Did something get lost in translation? Has the word been used over and over to the point that so many have forgotten its original meaning? Has the word become so misused people no longer fully understand what it means?
Either way, one thing to know is that despite the confusion about what bias means, there are still plenty of opinionated people out there, which is great. That shows they are thinking about the world around them and forming their own views. Just as long as they are willing to listen and consider other points of view, they are dodging the “bias” label so often toss around. They may not change their views, and there could be good reasons (personal reasons) why. But at least they are willing to budge in some way.
Furthermore, it is also kind of funny that some people think being biased means having an opinion, are also the ones with strong opinions themselves. Does this prove that having an opinion means you are biased? Maybe. But if you look above at those screenshots with the definitions of bias, it is clear being biased is all about not wavering from your beliefs and refusing to listen to any challenges of those beliefs. Some of those people cannot have a civil conversation with anyone who disagrees with them, where they will explain where they got their information and/or their personal experience. Those who can may not be considered biased, or at least not too much.
In the end, being biased means having views, or opinions, and refusing to see or hear about the facts or consider other points of view. It does not mean it is wrong to have an opinion. Not having one takes away our freedom to think for ourselves and participate in our democracy and our communities. It is natural and perfectly OK to have an opinion on any topic.
It’s just not OK to not be open to other thoughts and facts. In other words, being biased could mean having opinions to the extreme.
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