Bias
A
bias is a
prejudice in a general or specific sense, usually in the sense for having a preference to one particular
point of view or
ideological perspective. However, one is generally only said to be
biased if one's powers of judgment are influenced by the biases one holds, to the extent that one's views could not be taken as being
neutral or
objective, but instead as
subjective. A bias could, for example, lead one to accept or deny the
truth of a
claim, not on the basis of the strength of the arguments in support of the claim themselves, but because of the extent of the claim's correspondence with one's own preconceived
ideas. This is called
confirmation bias.
A
systematic bias is a bias resulting from a flaw integral to the
system within which the bias arises (for example, an incorrectly calibrated
thermostat may consistently read – that is 'be biased' – several degrees hotter or colder than actual
temperature). As a consequence, systematic bias commonly leads to
systematic errors, as opposed to
random errors, which tend to cancel one another out.
In practice, accusations of bias often result from unacknowledged
favouritism on the part of a
critic or
judge, or indeed any person in a position requiring the careful and disinterested exercise of arbitration or assessment. Any tendency to favour a certain set of values naturally leads to an uneven dispensation of judgment. It may also be noted that, if a person were to take their own preexisting view as
a priori balanced without acknowledging their own personal inclinations, any person or organization that
disagrees with their views is likely to be viewed as biased
regardless of that person or organization's actual efforts at balance. It may be observed that bias is, in a sense, reflexive, unacknowledged or unrecognised bias potentially leading to its apprehension (with or without good reason) in others.
This is particularly common in discussion of
news media outlets such as
CNN,
Fox News Channel,
The New York Times,
Al Jazeera, and so on. For example,
Bill O'Reilly has made accusations of
liberal bias against the staunchly
conservative Globe and Mail; at the same time, critics of O'Reilly accuse him of a conservative bias.
Control Room, a
documentary film made in
2004, has examined the role of bias in the media, through an examination of the conflicting methods of reporting the events of the
U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq in
2003, in
Western and
Arabian news networks.
*
List of cognitive biases*
Media bias*
Neutral point of view*
Objectivity*
Scholarly method*
Subjectivity*
Bias (textile)
