Wouldyoutrustinformationunsupportedbyfactsorlogicalreasoning?

Abiasedauthor
maynotpayattentiontoallthefactsordevelopalogicalargumenttosupporthisorher
opinion.Astatementisbiasedifitreflectsapartiality,preferenceorprejudice,objectoridea.
Muchofwhatyoureadandhearexpressesabias.
Anyonewhowantstobelieveanideaisright,isbiased.Youmaynotdisagreewith
them,butdoyouunderstandwhyyoubelieve?
ThefollowingarticleisaboutabortioninIreland.Itisabiasedwritinginfavorof
abortiononecaneasilyfigurethisoutjustbylookingatthetitle:Destroyedwomen,
abandonedbabies:whyIrelandmustmoveforwardonabortion.Theauthorusessome
extremelanguage,creatinganargumentthatappealsmoretoemotionratherthanlogic.The
firstsentenceofthearticlehasthesamekindofharshlanguageanditalreadymakesthe
readerthinkthattheauthorisinfavorofabortion.
Inthenextparagraph,theauthorreliesonapersuasivetestimonial(anoldstoryabout
a15yearoldschoolgirlwhogavebirthinsecret)tofurtherexposeherpointofview.Itis
cleartothereaderbynowthatshestandsinfavorofabortion.Thestoryisfollowedbya
similarone,completedwithastatementthatmightsendshiversdownyourspineyourspine:
Nothingterriblyexcitinghere.Thesequotescreateadeep,negativeimpression.
Next,youcannoticetheauthorspoliticalpointofviewwhenshetalksaboutIrelands
prolifeamendamentandhowitmadewomenrevealsecretsregardinghiddenpregancies,
miscarrieges,etc.Theauthorsoundsratherironictalkingaboutgaymarriage,givingthe
impressionthatgaymarriageisaminorthingcomparedtotheabortionbangaymarriage
isalreadylegalised,butnotabortionitappearsasthoughsheemphasizestheword
already.
Twomoreexamplesoftragiceventsarepresentedwithafeelingof,whatitseemsto
meatleast,scorntowardstheofficialsthathandledthecases.Whatismore,youcan
understandthatsheisnotrefferingsolelyattheoneswhohandledthecases,buthintingat
allofficialsandinstitutionsthatareinvolvedinsuchproblemsthus,generalizing.
Shelaterasksarethoricalquestionsuggestingthatsheisafeministandnotafraidof
facingtheconsequencesthatherarticlemightbring:HowarewegoingtocreateanIreland
inwhichnowomaneverfeelslikesheneedstogivebirthinsecret?
TheauthorgeneralizesagaintalkingaboutIrelandasawhole,excludindthefactthatnot
everybodyfeelsandactsthesameasthepeoplementionedbefore.Shecondemnsthe
stateforusinghypocriticalwordsandthinking,suggestingaparalisysinthewaythatIreland
treatswomensissues.
Thefinalparagraphisfullofexamplesofwomenwhosufferedterriblybecauseofa
crippledsystemthatdoesnotofferthemtheopportunitytoreactdifferently.Theendingof
thearticlesoundsjustasdarkandironicastherest:Nothingterriblyexcitinghere.
Inconclusion,itisclearthattheauthorisbiasedinthearticle.Thefactthatthisis
publishedinamuchreadnewspaper,TheGuardian,offershertheopportunitytomake
peopleawareofwhatistrulyhappening.Theabundanceofpersuasivetestimonials,the
generalizationandlackofdifferentpointofviewsmakeheropinionobvious.