In this unit, we have learned about detecting bias in media, such as learning about different stereotypes, bias, and subtle techniques people use to influence others. Throughout the unit, we have learned these through looking at several articles, advertisements, commercials, etc, in order to better understand and recognize these biases in everyday life as well as ourselves. The key concept in this unit is perspective, which is something I really learned to use from this lesson, as I have been able to better separate empathy from sympathy. Through some research online I found out how to differentiate empathy from sympathy, as empathy often puts people in others’ shoes, but takes the person out of every single other person’s shoes in the situation. Sympathy is much more useful, as it allows you to sympathize with one person while still being able to
Some of the skills that really helped me in this unit are ‘analyzing’, since it’s extremely important for me to utilize in order to properly break down different elements in articles and advertisements and to really identify and see the subtle biases within them. This really helped me a lot, since after knowing the things the author may use as biases to influence readers, I now learned how to notice and avoid them easier in the future (such as how the author structures the information, maybe select only certain information, or even word of choice). I also learned how to avoid using stereotypes in the future, as I’ve often noticed them in advertisements and understand how those are actually harmful to society as it puts on a false image of certain groups of people. I also used the skill ‘compare’/‘contrast’ often in order to compare and contrast different articles in order to better understand how articles differ from each other, for better or worse, in order to learn from their mistakes. Some of the things I often find when compare and contrasting are how some articles have been able to avoid bias while others struggle (or even embrace) them. This allows me to understand and seperate how a good article differs from a bad one, why and how. I have learned, through this process, how to avoid treating speculation as if it’s real or how to recognize reliable sources from possibly heavily biased ones.
One of the learner profiles that helped me the most is ‘balanced’, as it’s especially needed in order for me to be able to balance out the bias of different perspectives in many of the articles. Many of the times, when the articles are about politics, I would have to be able to try and see if the article has any bias toward any side of the party, such as the Democrats’ side or the Republicans’ side (usually the Democrats’ side), and to see why some articles are less bias than others. What I found was that a good and unbiased article often takes in both sides’ perspectives when writing the article without adding in anything that may not have been confirmed and treating it like truth, which is what happens with CNN a lot. Wall Street Journal has often been able to give both sides’ perspectives and intentions very well, which is something I learned a lot from. Through analyzing these articles, I have been able to develop my ‘balanced’ learner profile much more and be able to see a situation from several different perspectives in the future. This would not only help me understand the entire situation better, it would also help me become fairer and less bias.
Some of the ATLs that helped me a lot in this unit are:
Vii. Media Literacy Skills: I have understanded the impact of media representations this semester, as through some of the media posts I saw online and the interview responses I got from Part 2, I have understanded that since the mainstream media mostly have one common ideology, they often oppress or villainize other perspectives, usually conservative perspectives. It is through these research that I have understand how easily the media can manipulate the public, and that I have understand why we should avoid bias in order to get others to understand situations through facts, not opinions.
Viii Critical Thinking Skills: I have also learned to use this ATL as I often need to analyze and evaluate several issues that may often appear in everyday articles, and it is through this that I have learned to better recognize unstated assumptions and bias. I have often noticed many reporters treating speculation without evidence as truth in the document, which is how I learned to reach conclusions through facts, rather than immediately reaching to the conclusion you want to reach or conclusions other reached for you.

Evidence:
Interview video:

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