10.1: Fact and Opinion in Reading

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When you are reading or listening to information, evaluate the author’s style as well as use of fact and opinion to determine how you should value this information.

Objectivity vs. Bias

Ideally, authors publish objective texts, leaving their emotions out of them. Keeping the writing too clinical, though, can alienate audiences, so with the exception of research articles, you rarely see work published that is entirely objective. Even dry research articles can have hidden biases because humans are imperfect beings, and authors are human. There are going to be flaws in logic, or sometimes facts may be inadvertently omitted. That is to be expected. When we identify information as being reported objectively, we mean that the author did a reasonable job of reporting the information unemotionally.

On the other end of the spectrum, is something that has a negative connotation – bias. We use the term bias to refer to an author who presents information in a way that is prejudiced and does not present differing opinions fairly, or at all.

In academic reading, and in daily life, it is important to have the ability to identify and evaluate information that is presented objectively or with bias.

Learning Activity #5

Fact vs Opinion

Your instructor will provide you with a text on BlackBoard. Complete the following:

Read and annotate the article. As you are annotating the article, as part of your marking, identify the author’s use of fact and opinion, using color coding and/or “F” and “O” to identify facts and opinions in the piece.
Is this text credible? Why or why not? Write one paragraph justifying your response.