Reference no: EM133324375
Assignment:
1. What are some common forms that biased reporting can take?
2. Consider the following headline:
Virginia Christian group denied service at restaurant over safety concerns: 'Amazingly hypocritical' The Virginia restaurant admitted to refusing service to the Christian group in a social media post What are some signs that the source is biased?
3. Why is the expression of opinion not necessarily an indication of bias?
4. Label each of the following statements as fact or opinion. Provide brief explanations.
a. Twitter forces nuanced thoughts down to bumper-sticker bluntness. The chaoticotic, always moving newsfeed leaves little time for reflection on whatever has just been read.
b. Something historic is happening in Georgia that portends a massive political realignment for several Southern states.
c. According to Nate Cohn, the Black share of the electorate fell to its lowest level since 2006.
d. Black, white or Latino, it's organization that matters in Iowa.
e. Finally, this October, President Biden ordered the Department of Health and Human Services and the attorney general to review what's known as the "scheduling" status of cannabis.
5. What do critical thinkers (or intelligent skeptics) do differently from conspiracy theorists?
6. Name the fallacy. (Note: for the final, you should know all ten. This is just a sample.)
a. My Holy Book was written by the Great Prophet. We can be sure this is true because my Holy Book says so.
b. According to my three friends who are taking English 103, that class is boring. Clearly English 103 is a boring course.
c. This morning I put oat milk in my coffee, and there was no traffic during my commute to work. Clearly, the key to reducing traffic is to drink oat milk.
d. Why should not waste our time on Senator Edward's infrastructure plan. He is nothing but a crotchety old reactionary fuddy-duddy.
e. Just as good neighbors help each other take care of their property, good students should be allowed to complete one another's homework.
7. What are the most reliable ways to judge if somebody is an expert in a given field?
8. What are some reasons to believe that an expert is biased?
9. What are some factors that can make personal experience an unreliable source of evidence?
10. Evaluate the following theory according to the criteria of adequacy (testability, fruitfulness, scope, simplicity, conservatism).
Phenomenon: People who drink warm milk before bed claim that it helps them fall asleep.
Theory: Milk contains small amounts of the chemical tryptophan, which induces sleep.