68 Objectivity and Bias
Christina Frasier
Learning Objectives
- Identify biased language
- Compose objective sentences
Note: In the Critical Thinking and Argument section, there is a chapter called “Framing, Word Choice, and Biases” that delves deeper into bias specifically in argumentation. This section is more general and geared toward expository writing.
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Objectivity in writing is important. Leading with your feelings might be appropriate in your personal communication, but in an academic and professional setting, writers should avoid judgmental and emotional language. Consider the following examples:
Example
- Bad: I disagree with the separation of migrant children from their families at the US-Mexico border because it is not right.
This sentence begins with a personal opinion, which might not be appropriate for what you’re writing. Ask yourself whether or not what you are writing about is a fact.
- Better: UN officials say that child separation may be prohibited under international law (“UN Rights Chief ‘Appalled,'” 2019, para. 2).
This sentence gives cited evidence and does not refer to personal opinion or an opinion at all.
A writer risks alienating their audience if their work is not objective and uses language intended to exclude people. Approaching your writing with a growth mindset, intellectual openness, and concrete evidence rather than a fixed, preset opinion is the best bet. Here are some elements of biased writing to identify and edit out from your drafts:
- Generalizations
- Lack of evidence
- Anecdata
- Lack of self-awareness
- Lack of sensitivity
Generalizations lump everything into a group.
Example
Using all-or-nothing language:
- Bad: STEM professors do not value writing.
- Better: Some professors teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) deemphasize the value of writing in the workplace.
Notice that the “better” sentence is longer; expressing nuance takes a little more time!
Writing that lacks evidence could be considered biased, as well. Academic writing certainly has no credibility without evidence, and if you do not secure and maintain the trust of your reader, you risk alienating them.
Example
- Bad: Twice as many men as women suffer from Central Auditory Processing Disorder.
- Better: Research shows more men than women suffer from Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) by a 2:1 ratio (Chermak & Musiek, 1997, p. 324; Palfrey & Duff, 2007, p. 152).
The second sentence gives concrete evidence and cites the info.
Sometimes, instead of no evidence, there is too little. “Anecdata,” the data of one person’s experience, is not evidence. Anecdotes are only one person’s account, and the world is not defined by one person’s experiences alone.
Example
- Bad: My daughter spends all her free time playing video games, which goes to show that the pandemic spurred many bad habits.
- Better: Screen time rates for children doubled from March 2020 to May 2020 (Richtel, 2021, para. 11).
The “better” sentence