Teaching Comparative

Feeling, thinking, knowing

The multitude of things we deal with when thinking about complex topics is daunting. And we have to consider the same multitude for each and every student. Perspective, bias, frame of reference, prejudice, and assumptions are all part of our perceptual and intellectual universe. Research, as this Washington Post article suggests, is not always encouraging. In fact, in this case, it seems to make the learning/teaching job more difficult.

Two Views of the Same News Find Opposite Biases


"Israel's 1982 war in Lebanon sparked some of the earliest experiments into why people reach dramatically different conclusions about the same events...

"...researchers showed 144 observers six television news segments about Israel's 1982 war with Lebanon. Pro-Arab viewers heard 42 references that painted Israel in a positive light and 26 references that painted Israel unfavorably. Pro-Israeli viewers, who watched the very same clips, spotted 16 references that painted Israel positively and 57 references that painted Israel negatively.

"Both groups were certain they were right and that the other side didn't know what it was talking about. The tendency to see bias in the news... is such a reliable indicator of partisan thinking that researchers coined a term, 'hostile media effect,' to describe the sincere belief among partisans that news reports are painting them in the worst possible light.

"Were pro-Israeli and pro-Arab viewers who were especially knowledgeable about the conflict immune from such distortions? Amazingly, it turned out to be exactly the opposite, Stanford psychologist Lee D. Ross said. The best-informed partisans were the most likely to see bias against their side.

"Ross thinks this is because partisans often feel the news lacks context... The more knowledgeable people are, the more context they find missing.

"Even more curious, the hostile media effect seems to apply only to news sources that strive for balance. News reports from obviously biased sources usually draw fewer charges of bias. Partisans, it turns out, find it easier to countenance obvious propaganda than news accounts that explore both sides...

"[Researchers also] found that what partisans worry about the most is the impact of the news on neutral observers. But the data suggest such worry is misplaced. Neutral observers are better than partisans at seeing flaws and virtues on both sides. Partisans, it turns out, are particularly susceptible to the general human belief that other people are susceptible to propaganda..."

posted by Ken Wedding @ 6:11 AM