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Why is it important to watch for bias?

Biased information also loses its value. Information of little value may:

• mislead us
• misinform us
• cause us to make an incorrect deduction
• cause us to make a poor decision

Suppose we used the internet to research the health benefits of cleaning our teeth. One website, owned and produced by a dental company, might tell us that we need to clean our teeth ten times every day. Another website, written by an individual, might state that cleaning our teeth is a waste of time. By following the advice from the first one, we might spend more money than we need to on teeth-cleaning products and damage our teeth by cleaning them too much. By following the advice from the other, we might suffer from poor dental hygiene.

Factors to consider

Biased information is influenced by a point of view. When analysing information for bias, there are certain factors to look for:

• Source – who has produced the information? Information from an authoritative, well-known organisation or person is likely to have value. Information from wikis and blogs may be less valuable because they are not authoritative – anyone can update a wiki or write a blog. As such, they may contain bias or inaccuracies. Remember, though, that a company may overstate claims about their products or services, whilst understating those of their competitors.
• Opinion or fact – does the website state facts or opinions? Opinions are points of view, not facts. Whilst opinions should be considered and may be interesting, as information they have less value than facts.
• Statements without facts – does the website contain statements that cannot be backed up by facts? Such statements are opinions, and have little value.
• Date of publication – when was the website was last updated? Websites that have not been updated for a long time may no longer be accurate.