An examination of biased writing shows how prejudices develop

John Greenleaf Whittier, famous writer, Quaker, abolitionist

Carol Forsloff - In 2010 Forbes magazine wondered whether there might be a Caesar Chavez crackdown on newspapers in the cries for media reform. The worries have been bias, and along with that people around the world are wondering about the effect of newspapers ideas on the state of the world in general, so let us examine how that might happen.  Some years ago, it was written in a general way to examine bias, but in the light of religious misinterpretations it is important to share this again, with updates.

A lesson can be developed by examining several encyclopedic sources on information, looking at how the information is written, and then asking ourselves how bias develops and where it exists. This is a self-instructional exercise which allows the reader to make determination for himself or herself, beginnning with this by way of introduction to the first source:

Conservapedia: over 155,000,000 page views & over 731,000 page edits.
George Orwell said, "All issues are political issues ...." Free yourself from the liberal deceit and let the logic of conservative principles into your mind; they will help you overcome your problems.

We need, however, to go beyond the front pages, however, as responsible journalists would advise, before making final judgment. So let's sally forth and do just that.
Let's see if we, as journalists and as readers, can find bias in the following. This writer won't bias the reader by pointing them out, but just like the game of finding something missing, not there or irregular in material of any kind, perhaps folks might find for themselves what might those be in the citation found about Barack Obama, President of the United States:
Now many can write convincing pieces, depending on the view one might have, taking the facts and presenting them in a manner that underlines that view. That's a clue, dear reader, to the above, and likely the following too. Ah, yes let's look at gun control:
I am certain my good readers have excellent discernment and can make their own determinations as to bias, slant and such. Let's compare, these, with the site this one disparages while directing us to their own for reliable information.
This is the opening paragraph information from Encyclopedia Britannica online:
One site offers this about Islam as a definition for Christians:
And this, my friends, concludes the lesson, with the information here for all to examine, so one might discover for oneself how information can be slanted, for reading and writing, as this self-instructional guide reveals.

These are their commandments for writing and editing on their site, even as Wikipedia maintains should be done on theirs as well. These commandments resemble in many ways the outline set by other online posting information resources, however the emphasis might be telling, especially when one examines specific articles. Let's start with what they call Conservapedia Commandments:

1. Everything you post must be true and verifiable. Do not copy from Wikipedia[1] or elsewhere unless it was your original work.[2]
2. Always cite[3] and give credit to your sources,[4] even if in the public domain.[5] When making citations from books, users are encouraged to find additional online sources that provide easy verification. Please check Google Books to see if this particular source is available in online form.
3. Any content you create or change (including edits, new pages, images and links) must be family-friendly, clean, concise, and without gossip or foul language.
4. When referencing dates based on the approximate birth of Jesus, give appropriate credit for the basis of the date (B.C. or A.D.). "BCE" and "CE" are unacceptable substitutes because they deny the historical basis. See CE.
5. Do not post personal opinion on an encyclopedia entry. Opinions can be posted on Talk:pages or on debate or discussion pages. Advertisements are prohibited.
6. The operation of unauthorized wiki-bots is prohibited.[6]
7. Unproductive activity, such as 90% talk page edits and only 10% quality edits to Conservapedia articles, may result in blocking of the account.[7] See the Guidelines for more detail.

On the surface these might seem reasonable enough, especially when it comes to notions like plagiarism, providing verification or citations and sticking strictly to the facts. Yet the facts might be in question. And just what might they be?

Barack Hussein Obama II (birth name Barry Soetoro,[1][2][3] allegedly born in Honolulu August 4, 1961[4][5][6][7][8]) is the 44th President of the United States, and previously served less than four years as a first-term Democratic Senator from Illinois (2005-2008). Obama and his running mate Senator Joseph Biden won the presidential election[9] after 23 months of campaigning that spent over $700 million,[10] much of it raised from undisclosed or fraudulent donors.[11] Obama spent far more per vote than McCain did: Obama spent $7.39 per vote, while McCain spent only $5.78 per vote.[12] Claimed by liberals to be a brilliant orator, Obama depends completely on reading from teleprompters when he talks, even in an elementary school.[13]
As President, Obama has pushed for establishing a Palestinian state over the objection of Israel's Prime Minister,[14] inclusion of Turkey in the European Union[15] and holding Guantanamo detainees indefinitely without trial.[16]
Since abandoning the "War on Terror" in Obama's first year, the rate of terrorist attacks on the United States has gone from zero per year during George W. Bush's last year, [17] to at least four.

Gun control laws restrict the purchase or ownership of guns, weapons acquired mostly for defensive or sporting purposes. Gun control is unique among social programs in increasing the emotional and physical dependency of all citizens on government. Because gun control raises the dependence of citizens on government, its political effect is to shift the electorate leftward. The primary supporters of gun control are the liberal media and leftist politicians.[1] In the United Kingdom, which already has the strictest gun control in Europe, leftists demand control over 120,000 deactivated guns, even though their activation and use constitute only 0.04% of all gun offenses there; fewer guns means greater dependency on government.[2]

This is the introductory paragraph on Barack Obama from Wikipedia Encyclopedia:

Barack Hussein Obama II (Listeni /bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/ bə-RAHK hoo-SAYN oh-BAH-mə; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as the junior United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned after his election to the presidency in November 2008.
Originally from Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.

l Barack Hussein Obama II
born Aug. 4, 1961, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
44th president of the United States (2009– ) and the first African American to hold the office. Before winning the presidency, Obama represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate (2005–08). He was the third African American to be elected to that body since the end of Reconstruction (1877). In 2009 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

What about definitions of religious groups offered by those outside of those groups?  How might the definitions given either enhance or detract from understanding and bias?

" Is it true that Islam is a lot like Christianity?

Although the two religions share some terminology and even some theology (monotheism, for instance), Islam is fundamentally different from Christianity. Islam is a works-oriented religion, while Christian faith is based on salvation bygrace through faith as a result of the shed blood of Christ.

In Islam, if God wants to forgive sin, He simply says, “It is forgiven.” Christianity recognizes the necessity of the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22)."

Observe the embedded implication that all of Christians believe salvation is by grace and faith and through Christ's shedding of his blood.  On the other hand, one of the fundamental groups of Christianity, one that spearheaded the abolition of slavery that is said to be at the core of many American's personal histories is that of the Quakers.  Quakers believe that good works is fundamental to the practice of their faith, and they work toward that end by devoting much of their time to working with the oppressed and the underprivileged groups.  Indeed their orientation concerning the "Inner Light" is similar to the Sufis of Islam.

There are other groups who believe similarly, including the Unitarian-Universalists about the value of thought, reason and service as part of Christian belief, and emphasize this in their teachings and observances.  And some Christians argue that good works is part of the major fulcrum of obedience to Christ's teachings, such as Jim Wallis of the Sojourners, a major spokesperson for developing an open way of sharing ideas about faith and practice.

Furthermore there is an assumption that all Christians believe Christ is God, ignoring the fact that Eastern Orthodox Christians may not share this idea nor do Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses and others.  There is a notion that Christianity is homogeneous and that likewise is Islam by the blanket notion that Islam and Christianity have little in common..

At the same time, there is no reference to a definition of Islam in this one provided for Christians by any followers of the Muslim faith.  It is done as a reference for Christians without reference to scholarly texts written by major writers who are practitioners of the religion or who have been raised and schooled in it.