AP Lang Bias and Credibility

AP Lang

Bias and Credibility

TIERS OF SOURCES

01

03

02

PEER-REVIEWED, ACADEMIC PUBLICATION

REPORTS, ARTICLES, AND BOOKS FROM CREDIBLE NON-ACADEMIC SOURCES

SHORT PIECES FROM PERIODICALS OR CREDIBLE WEBSITES

example

example

example

And then there's Tier 4: agenda-driven or pieces from unknown sources

Tiers of Sources Activity

• Examine the 4 Sources.
• Sort them into the 4 tiers.

02

04

03

01

REPORTS, ARTICLES, AND BOOKS FROM CREDIBLE NON-ACADEMIC SOURCES

AGENDA-DRIVEN OR PIECES FROM UNKNOWN SOURCES

SHORT PIECES FROM PERIODICALS OR CREDIBLE WEBSITES

PEER-REVIEWED, ACADEMIC PUBLICATION

Tiers of Sources Activity

Source 1

02

04

03

01

REPORTS, ARTICLES, AND BOOKS FROM CREDIBLE NON-ACADEMIC SOURCES

AGENDA-DRIVEN OR PIECES FROM UNKNOWN SOURCES

SHORT PIECES FROM PERIODICALS OR CREDIBLE WEBSITES

PEER-REVIEWED, ACADEMIC PUBLICATION

Tiers of Sources Activity

Source 1

04

AGENDA-DRIVEN OR PIECES FROM UNKNOWN SOURCES

Tiers of Sources Activity

Source 2

02

04

03

01

REPORTS, ARTICLES, AND BOOKS FROM CREDIBLE NON-ACADEMIC SOURCES

AGENDA-DRIVEN OR PIECES FROM UNKNOWN SOURCES

SHORT PIECES FROM PERIODICALS OR CREDIBLE WEBSITES

PEER-REVIEWED, ACADEMIC PUBLICATION

Tiers of Sources Activity

Source 2

03

SHORT PIECES FROM PERIODICALS OR CREDIBLE WEBSITES

Tiers of Sources Activity

Source 3

02

04

03

01

REPORTS, ARTICLES, AND BOOKS FROM CREDIBLE NON-ACADEMIC SOURCES

AGENDA-DRIVEN OR PIECES FROM UNKNOWN SOURCES

SHORT PIECES FROM PERIODICALS OR CREDIBLE WEBSITES

PEER-REVIEWED, ACADEMIC PUBLICATION

Tiers of Sources Activity

Source 3

01

PEER-REVIEWED, ACADEMIC PUBLICATION

Tiers of Sources Activity

Source 4

02

04

03

01

REPORTS, ARTICLES, AND BOOKS FROM CREDIBLE NON-ACADEMIC SOURCES

AGENDA-DRIVEN OR PIECES FROM UNKNOWN SOURCES

SHORT PIECES FROM PERIODICALS OR CREDIBLE WEBSITES

PEER-REVIEWED, ACADEMIC PUBLICATION

Tiers of Sources Activity

Source 4

02

REPORTS, ARTICLES, AND BOOKS FROM CREDIBLE NON-ACADEMIC SOURCES

CREDIBILITY CHECK

Reputation – What is the reputation of the author, the sources, and the publiction? Do past actions or lies indicate the author, sources, or publication may not be reliable? Is the author, source, or publication in a position of authority? Ability to Observe – Is the author in a position that allows access to reliable evidence? If the article is about an event, did the author actually observe the event? Vested Interest – Does the author have a personal stake in the topic or event? Would the author gain anything by lying? Would the author gain anything by telling the truth? Expertise – Does the author have specialized knowledge on the topic or event? Does the evidence come from a source that has expertise on the topic or event? Neutrality – Is the author neutral about the issue or is bias evident? Is the source of the evidence neutral or biased?

& PARC

also, CRAAP

example

Evaluating Bias

bias, noun-prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair bias, verb- cause to feel or show inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something If you notice the following, the source may be biased:

• Heavily opinionated or one-sided
• Relies on unsupported claims

• Pretends to present facts, but offers only opinion
• Uses extreme, emotional, or inappropriate language

• Is entertainment-based or a form of parody or satire
• Tries to sell you something in disguise

Bias Evaluation tools

Credibility & Bias Activity

Reputation – What is the reputation of the author, the sources, and the publiction? Do past actions or lies indicate the author, sources, or publication may not be reliable? Is the author, source, or publication in a position of authority? Ability to Observe – Is the author in a position that allows access to reliable evidence? If the article is about an event, did the author actually observe the event? Vested Interest – Does the author have a personal stake in the topic or event? Would the author gain anything by lying? Would the author gain anything by telling the truth? Expertise – Does the author have specialized knowledge on the topic or event? Does the evidence come from a source that has expertise on the topic or event? Neutrality – Is the author neutral about the issue or is bias evident? Is the source of the evidence neutral or biased?

Choose one local restaurant that you’ve never been to before. Using Yelp, look up two reviews written by people: one single-star and one five-star. Look for the following:

Bias alerts! Look for:

• heavily opinionated
• unsupported claims

• extreme/emotional language
• tries to sell you something

Assignment