Web Bias

Abstract
Evidence of bias can be traced to its birth with the advent of the printing press beginning in the Roman Empire. Today's web presents a challenge far greater than the birth of the press; from any place on the planet, authors can create content and update it without any method of verification. This week, an examination of the processes and the methods of controlling misinformation have been done.

Treatment
One should never assume anything; information can be presented in ways that may lead us to dangerous places. Alan November's example of website misinformation, www.MartinLutherKing.org was a stark reminder of what misinformation is. It shows how cleverly presented data can be convincing. Information of this nature could affect the most susceptible ones of all: children. It proves that if people were willing to take a few extra steps to verify the author’s origin, then they would discover the information’s bias and deem it unsuitable.

Michael Shermer’s detection kit presents interesting methods of fact checking. His presentation displays his personal biases, but Shermer suggests ten questions that provide a method of analyzing and comparing. Two questions are most helpful: (1.) How reliable is the source of the claim? And (2.) Where does the preponderance of evidence point?”

Reliability of a claim should be obtained before information is accepted. Furthermore, when analyzed, the facts should present an alignment in a given direction. Richard Allen Nelson may have methods that best meet our needs in his study,Tracking propaganda to the source: Tools for analyzing media bias. He presents a 12-step program for checking information and the sources of origin. The steps are:


1. Surveys of the political/cultural attitudes of journalists, particularly members of the
    media elite and journalism students.
2. Studies of journalists' previous professional connections.
3. Collections of quotations in which prominent journalists reveal their beliefs about
    politics and/or the proper role of their profession.
4. Computer word-use and topic analysis searches to determine content and labeling.
5. Studies of policies recommended in news stories.
6. Comparisons of the agenda of the news and entertainment media with agendas of
   political candidates or other activists.
7. Positive/negative coverage analysis.
8. Reviews of the personal demographics of media decision makers.
9. Comparisons of advertising sources/content, which influence information/
   entertainment content.
10. Analyses of the extent of government propaganda and public relations (PR) industry
     impact on media.
11. Studies of the use of experts and spokespersons by media versus those not selected to
     determine the interest groups and ideologies represented versus those excluded.
12. Research into payments of journalists by corporations and trade associations to speak
     before their groups and the impact that may have on coverage

Nelson methods direct us to investigate a source from various directions. Checking for political agendas and slanted views of journalists. Although most authors on the web are not journalists by trade they are writing journalistic works in the creation of content.Most of theses steps may require the assistant of sources that are fee based but Step 4, I find especially useful because anyone can do it. For most information, anyone could apply a simple word use or topic analysis check. Searches of this nature yield content and labeling similarities or discrepancies. As in Shermer’s steps, although quite less bias in presentation, Nelson’s steps rely on an exhaustive search of comparing and crosschecking the points of origin.

Conclusion
“Trust but verify” (Reagan 1985), although this was used in the perils of the Cold War, it is quite befitting for navigating the web today. People in the present need tools that will help them verify and authenticate information. This week was an eye-opener for those who take the ease of harvesting information from the web for granted. Trust alone is not enough; well-presented information still must be verified.


Media bias
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias#Tools_for_measuring_and_evaluating_media_bias

A Measure of Media Bias
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/groseclose/Media.Bias.8.htm

Michael Shermer
http://www.committedsardine.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=181

Alan November - Who Owns the Websites Your Kids Access?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVLS_rlwnwI