Fallacies (News Media and Bias)

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Understanding Fallacies (Continued)

News Media and Bias

The news media we consume affects us, but we also affect it. Most people think that they perceive truth objectively, as it is. However, we all see things from a point of view and people tend to seek news media that supports their points of view. This can serve to further entrench us in a more narrow way of looking at things while at the same time making us feel more certain that our point of view is objective and neutral. We also learned in Chapter 8 that people have biases (such as the confirmation bias) that make it hard for them to embrace ideas that contradict with their own points of view. This week’s discussion seeks to explore how we can free ourselves from these tendencies.

Prepare: Read Section 8.3 in the course text on “Media and Mediated Information,” as well as Section 8.1, paying special attention to the section about confirmation bias. Then watch the Critical Thinking on LIVING SMART with Patricia Gras (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [NSC1] video about the relationship between media and ideology.

Reflect: Think about the ways in which people consume news media that supports their own points of view–everything from the TV news shows they watch to the news articles they are exposed to on social media. Consider what we might do to learn to think more objectively and see things from multiple points of view.

Write: Express your thoughts on the following questions: To what degree and in what ways are people manipulated by the news media that they consume? Make sure to give specific examples. What types of consequences can follow from people having more choices of what media they can consume? Do we control our news media or does it control us? What can people do to break free from media hypnosis and have broader, more objective points of view? In what ways might we strive to overcome confirmation bias? Address anything else that you find relevant and interesting in the chapter and video.

Hint Post: Media and Bias

As you’ve discovered in your readings for this week, we all have biases. We subscribe to certain assumptions about the world and have emotional responses to issues that influence what we do, what we think, what arguments we’ll accept, and even the products we buy and the media we consume–unless we think critically. We need to critically evaluate all sources of information, particularly the news. Don’t assume everything you hear, see, or read is true.

It should be obvious if you’ve paid any attention at all to almost any form of media over the past few years that political beliefs have become a significant source of bias in everything from the news to social media. If you’re not certain of your own political leanings (and maybe even if you are), this quiz (Links to an external site.) (Santhanam, 2016) will help you determine with which political party your beliefs most closely align. The quiz is very basic, but it will give you some direction.

To evaluate the sources where you get your news, the following sites provide evaluations of their political leanings (e.g., on a scale from “Far Left” to “Far Right”–similar to the political party quiz above) and identify sources of outright propaganda and fake news:

1. AllSides (Links to an external site.) — Ratings specifically for online news sources

2. Media Bias Chart 3.1 (Links to an external site.) — Visual representation of the bias of news outlets in relation to each other

3. Media Bias Fact Check (Links to an external site.) — Searchable database of worldwide news outlets

I picked these three, not because I necessarily agree with their assessments (although I do in many cases), but because they explicitly state the methodology used to evaluate media bias. This gives you the opportunity to determine how biased these sites themselves are. Also, I provided 3 sources to allow you to compare the bias attributed to any media outlet. I would encourage you to look up your main source(s) of news to see where it stands and how it reflects your own confirmation bias. I also encourage you to do your own research on your news sources’ bias independently of the sites I’ve provided.

From a critical thinker’s perspective, what is most troubling about the assessments provided by the sites above is not that there is political bias at work–that has always been the case–but the increased number of propaganda, pseudo-science, and conspiracy sources that people are exposed to on a daily basis. With the proliferation of social media and the internet, access to information has increased exponentially, but most people’s processes for evaluating that information has not changed. They allow their cognitive biases to guide their acceptance of information. As critical thinkers, it’s our job to understand our biases and to be on the lookout for their influence, to seek out alternative sources of information that challenge our understanding of the world, and to apply the skills you’re learning in this class to evaluate the veracity of that information.

Consider the extreme case of the Russians using social media to influence the 2016 election (McKew, 2018). Putting aside their motives and the actual impact their actions had, the fact that there was an organized effort by a foreign enemy power to influence the way entire groups of people think by exposing them to false stories through social media is undeniable—MeKew’s (2018) article does a good job of summarizing the evidence. The Russians used our innate cognitive biases and targeted us with stories we were likely to believe because they played into our fears and prejudices (CBS News, 2018). They even created fake social activist groups to put out the information so it would seem more believable. They created stories loosely based in fact for opposing sides of hot button social issues intended to further divide opposing factions knowing that they would be shared over and over again.

Think about your own social media habits or those of your friends. How many times have you read a story and liked or shared it without checking the source or verifying any of the facts? Or if you did look at the source of the article, did you check it out or did you just say to yourself some form of, “That seems like a credible source”? We tend to think that the more something is shared, the more people that “like” the story, particularly when our friends are doing so, the more likely it is to be true. But large numbers of people believing something is true isn’t what makes it true.

When composing your answers to the questions for this discussion, make sure you go into detail to support your answers. It’s not enough to state what you believe. You must also explain why you believe what you do. Think of it as trying to convince the reader that you’re correct. Also, give specific examples to illustrate your points. If you talk about any news stories, commercials, etc., you must give proper APA in-text citations and references.

References

AllSides.com. (2018). AllSides media bias ratings. AllSides.com. Retrieved from https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-rat… (Links to an external site.)

CBS News. (2018, February 16). Read the social media posts Russians allegedly used to influence 2016 election cycle. CBS News. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/read-social-media-pos… (Links to an external site.)

Media Bias Fact Check. (2018). Media bias fact check: The most comprehensive media bias resource. Retrieved from https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/ (Links to an external site.)

Santhanam, L. (2016, September 8). Where do you fit? The 2016 political party quiz. PBS News Hour: Politics. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fit-2016-pol… (Links to an external site.)

McKew, M. (2018, February 16). Did Russia affect the 2016 election? It’s now undeniable. Wired: Security. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/did-russia-affect-the-… (Links to an external site.)

Vanessa. (2018, February 5). Media bias chart 3.1. AllGeneralizationsAreFalse.com. Retrieved from

Summarize this article

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Recommendation for The Look

General outlook

The general outlook of the website is the first impression for whoever visits the site. In this case, the website should be phased up with a better pictorial representation of what the organization is all about. The few pictures showing the operations of the organization help create curiosity to any visitor to the site and curiosity could provoke their desire to use the services of the company. On the other hand, it will act as a motivational factor. It could be hard to gain and maintain traffic with such a blank website in terms of color and physical appeal. The first this for the website should lift its face to something that is more pictorial and appealing hence attractive. The pictures and images should be of the products produced by the site. The client should be able to get an idea of what they expect from the site,

Information

In another dimension, it is necessary to have the website include more information about the products, services, and operations as well as the policy of the company. That way, the access to more information allows the users of the site to have the ability to learn more from the site. It is the same information that should be accompanied by images that back up the information to communicate further and better. The website should include a home page that contains an introduction to the company as well as a provision of the section as and services involved in the organization. The policies and warning signs about access and any cases of copyright and fraud should be included. Each page on the site should contain enough information about its deliverables through introductions and details. It is also necessary to create shortcuts which can be used to access the different sections and levels of the site through pop-ups and

Security

The different levels of the website such as sales and marketing and the general website should have exclusive access rights to differentiated levels of clearance in the organization. Each member using the site should have a unique identity that designates their access to the site and therefore making sure they can only access what is cleared for their level. For example, support staff members should not have the access to sales information since that is exclusive to the members of the accounts section. The site should also be open to the general public for simplicity of access. The site should have links that are used as promotional features around the internet and therefore automatically redirect the users to the open site from which they can access the services of the organization.

Reliability

It is necessary to base the deliverable of the organization in such a way that they are easily accessible in a reliable and timely manner. That means the website should elaborate the details of the products being offered, It should be clear on timing hence indicate the time difference between time of ordering and the time of delivery of given services. Once the services or products are ordered, it should put out the format and procedure of obtaining the right product at the right time and methods of simplifying the process.

Alternatively, the website should manage the traffic of the completed transitions and the ration between the number of visitors and the number that actually complete transactions. That will enable the website to find recommendation of the way forward. There are two types of deliverable in this case. They could be services or physical products being marketed or promoted on the system. The visitors have an opportunity to find information and choose between the two deliverable as per their demand and then single out the order which is made precise. Feedback is key hence there should be an interactive capability by the system to share and promote the response from visitors and users.

Security Analysis?

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  1. Security A has an expected rate of return of 6%, a standard deviation of returns of 30%, a correlation coefficient with the market of 0.25, and a beta coefficient of 0.5. Security B has an expected return of 11%, a standard deviation of returns of 10%, a correlation with the market of 0.75, and a beta coefficient of 0.5. Which security is riskier? Why?
  2. The standard deviation of stock returns for Stock A is 40%. The standard deviation of the market return is 20%. If the correlation between Stock A and the market is 0.70, then what is Stock A’s beta?
  3. An analyst has modeled the stock of Crisp Trucking using a two-factor APT model. The risk- free rate is 6%, the expected return on the first factor r1 is 12%, and the expected return on the second factor r2 is 8%. If bi1 0 7 and bi2 0 9, what is Crisp’s required return?
  4. Stock A has an expected return of 12% and a standard deviation of 40%. Stock B has an expected return of 18% and a standard deviation of 60%. The correlation coefficient between Stocks A and B is 0.2. What are the expected return and standard deviation of a portfolio invested 30% in Stock A and 70% in Stock B?

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

  • Be approximately 2 pages in length, not including the cover page and reference page.
  • Follow the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA. Each paper should include an introduction, a body with at least two fully developed paragraphs, and a conclusion.
  • Support your answers with the readings from Module 4 and at least one scholarly journal article. The CSU-Global Library is a great place to find resources.
  • Be clear and well written, concise, and logical, using excellent grammar and style techniques. You are being graded in part on the quality of your writing. If you need assistance with your writing style, start with Tools for Effective Writing at the CSU-Global Library, accessible from the library’s homepage.

MS Project Familiarization

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Prior to completing the assignment, be sure to review the selected MS Project tutorial videos located in Week 2 of the Blackboard online course.

Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you summarize your thoughts on Microsoft Project:

  1. Give your opinion on how easy or difficult MS Project seems to be from a user experience standpoint.
  2. Suggest at least two (2) challenges you foresee in using MS Project in this course.
  3. Describe why it is important to use a tool like MS Project instead of using other tools (e.g., MS Word, MS Excel) to manage and track your schedule.
  4. Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
    • Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
    • Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
    • Attached below is grading rebric!

Case and Discussion

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Answer the below DQ 250 words APA format 3 scholarly sources with citation less than 5 year old

Case and Discussion

A 21-year-old women comes to your office with a 2 day history of right ear pain. She reports that the ear pain began shortly after taking scuba diving lessons. She describes the pain as “a pressure” and also notes “crackling” in the right ear and periodically feeling dizzy.

  • What other associated symptoms should you ask about?
  • How does the time course help to distinguish among different causes of ear pain?
  • How does the age of the patient help with narrowing the diagnostic possibilities?
  • What diagnostic tests do you want to include to help you with your diagnosis?
  • Create a differential diagnosis flowsheet for this patient and include the diagnostics as well as the pharmacological management and rationale related to the differentials.

ece332 week 4 discussion 1 RESPONSE s.m., psychology homework help

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Respond by providing additional ways that teachers or caregivers can minimize stereotypical differences in the classroom. Compare your classmates’ analyses of the videos to your own, and point out any differences or similarities that you find. Mine is attached.


William wants a doll- To me, this video relates to the social cognitive theory. In module 6.2 of Children’s Journey, Exploring Early Childhood, it states that “parents, siblings, playmates, and powerful symbolic models (such as television or book characters) suggest sex-appropriate behaviors for children.” In the video, William kept asking for a doll, the one thing that would make him happy. Instead, his dad was set on having him play with what he felt was boy toys-footballs, baseball, soccer, marbles, and badminton. He was so happy when William excelled in those sports, but while William was speaking to his grandmother, revealed that he only did well in those things to be able to get the doll he wanted. Eventually, his grandmother bought his doll, and all was well. William not only had his father suggest toys he thought was appropriate, he was also being teased by his classmates. Both of those influences could have easily changed Williams mind, but he held true to what he believed. In an article written by Alan Greene, MD, FAAP, it states that according to a study, “228. Percent of boys and 38.6 percent of girls enjoyed 10 or more gender-typical behaviors (Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, Saunders 2000).” The article further discusses what to do when this occurs- usually let it pass and don’t bring too much attention to it. They say that by kindergarten, it usually passes as their interest changes.

Ladies First- To me, this video relates to the Kohlberg and Gender Scheme Theory. In this video, the little girl always dressed nice and kept up her appearance- that little girls should dress and act a certain way. She would always suggest that “ladies go first” to get her way of going first. In module 6.2 of , Children’s Journey, Exploring Early Childhood, it discusses about the gender scripts and the characteristics associated with being boy or girl. It goes on to say, “ once children become aware of their gender identity and it’s meaning, they actively participate in organizing their behaviors as well as their environments to conform sex-appropriate patterns.” I also think the girl in this video could have been influenced by either her mother/father or both due to the fact that I believe she got the notion of “ladies first” from someone.

I don’t think my gender identity was influenced by gender stereotypes. My parents raised us to be and do anything we wanted. There were times I wanted to be a football player. My parents allowed me to go outside and play 2 hand touch or whatever with my brother, cousins, friends and dad. They encouraged me to be good at it if that’s what I wanted to do. I was also into climbing trees, playing in the dirt, walking in the creek-basically anything you would associate with a boy. Those things, to me, were fun. Eventually, I did grow out of it, but my parents allowed for that to happen, not get pushed out of it. A few strategies I will incorporate in my learning environment is to encourage the children to play with what they feel. During play time, I can talk to the children to understand why they chose that specific object and develop a way to excite that child with other or similar toys-building on the ideas they have. Another strategy I will use is having times where I would set the game and have the boys and girls play together. One day the game could be considered, “girly”, the next could be considered “boyish”. I think this is a good way to have the children understand it is ok to play something you like in spite of what others feel.

Greene, Alan. (2017, February 17). Gender Identity Issues. Retrieved from www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/behavioral/gender-identity-issues/

Lefrançois, G. R. (2012). Children’s journeys: Exploring early childhood. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Assignment 1 Essay

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UNDERSTANDING THE ASSIGNMENT: ESSAY – EXPLORING ANCIENT MYSTERIES

Write a 3-4 paragraph essay (of at least 250-500 words) which adequately address the topic and requirements stated below.

Format your essay according to the Strayer University Writing Standards as detailed in the formatting instructions below.

STEP 1: TOPIC SELECTION

Select a topic from the list below and include this topic on your title page.

Pyramids at Giza

There have been many theories regarding how the pyramids at Giza were constructed. Most experts agree that they were constructed as burial monuments for pharaohs, but “how” these ancient people constructed monuments of such great size without modern machinery is a mystery which is still being debated.

STEP 2: MYSTERY & THEORIES

Describe the mystery as though someone is hearing it for the first time.

Provide a brief summary of at least 2 reasonable and scholarly theories which could explain the mystery. Because some theories may sound far-fetched, include the source or promoter of each theory – such as a scientist, a historian, a theologian, etc.

STEP 3: EXAMINING THE MOST PLAUSIBLE

Identify 1 of the theories that you summarized above as the most plausible.

Provide at least 2 convincing reasons why the theory you have chosen is the best one to explain the mystery.

STEP 4: REFERENCES & CITATIONS

Include a reference page that identifies at least 3 references. The class text may be included in the list of 3 or more.

In-text citations are required when paraphrasing or quoting another source. (i.e., STEPS 2 and 3 above)

STEP 5: DOUBLE CHECK FORMATTING

Formatting and writing standards are part of your grade. Align your formatting to the Strayer University Writing Standards.

HELP & GRADING

If you need help, please contact me via email at: claybon@strayer.edu.

Your assignment is graded according to this assignment rubric.

For a little help with Week 4 assignment 1, view the following video

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.

Points: 100

Assignment 1: Essay – Exploring Ancient Mysteries

Criteria

Unacceptable

0% F

Meets Minimum Expectations

65% D

Fair

75% C

Proficient

85% B

Exemplary

100 A

1. Clearly state the “mystery” and provide a brief summary of at least two (2) reasonable and scholarly theories which could explain the mystery. Because some theories may sound far-fetched, include the source or promoter of each theory – such as a scientist, a historian, a theologian, etc.

Weight: 40%

Did not submit or incompletely stated the “mystery”. Did not submit or incompletely provided a brief summary of at least two (2) reasonable and scholarly theories which could explain the mystery. Did not submit or incompletely included the source or promoter of each theory – such as a scientist, a historian, a theologian, etc.

Insufficiently stated the “mystery” and insufficiently provided a brief summary of at least two (2) reasonable and scholarly theories which could explain the mystery. Insufficiently included the source or promoter of each theory – such as a scientist, a historian, a theologian, etc.

Partially stated the “mystery” and partially provided a brief summary of at least two (2) reasonable and scholarly theories which could explain the mystery. Partially included the source or promoter of each theory – such as a scientist, a historian, a theologian, etc.

Satisfactorily stated the “mystery” and satisfactorily provided a brief summary of at least two (2) reasonable and scholarly theories which could explain the mystery. Satisfactorily included the source or promoter of each theory – such as a scientist, a historian, a theologian, etc.

Thoroughly stated the “mystery” and effectively provided a brief summary of at least two (2) reasonable and scholarly theories which could explain the mystery. Thoroughly included the source or promoter of each theory – such as a scientist, a historian, a theologian, etc.

2. Identify one (1) of the theories as the most plausible and provide at least two (2) convincing reasons why the theory you have chosen is the best one to explain the mystery.

Weight: 35%

Did not submit or incompletely identified one (1) of the theories as the most plausible and did not submit or incompletely provided at least two (2) convincing reasons why the theory you have chosen is the best one to explain the mystery.

Insufficiently identified one (1) of the theories as the most plausible and insufficiently provided at least two (2) convincing reasons why the theory you have chosen is the best one to explain the mystery.

Partially identified one (1) of the theories as the most plausible and partially provided at least two (2) convincing reasons why the theory you have chosen is the best one to explain the mystery.

Satisfactorily identified one (1) of the theories as the most plausible and satisfactorily provided at least two (2) convincing reasons why the theory you have chosen is the best one to explain the mystery.

Thoroughly identified one (1) of the theories as the most plausible and thoroughly provided at least two (2) convincing reasons why the theory you have chosen is the best one to explain the mystery.

3. Three (3) references minimum (including class text); Reference quality

Weight: 5%

No references provided

Does not meet the required number of references; all references poor quality choices.

Does not meet the required number of references; some references poor quality choices.

Meets number of required references; some references poor quality choices.

Meets or exceeds number of required references; all references high quality choices.

4. Follows writing standards.
Meets page minimums.

Weight: 20%

Followed few to no writing standards.
Did not meet page minimums.

Followed few writing standards.
May not have met page minimums.

Followed some writing standards.
May not have met page minimums.

Followed most writing standards.
Met page minimums.

Followed all writing standards.
Met page minimums.

sociology dq 3 decrease of mobility and independence

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This
can be a very challenging topic, but it’s more prevalent than people
think: Elder Abuse. It is very much related to the environment in which
the person lives. With a decrease of mobility and independence, one is
more likely to experience abuse. They are dependent on the ones that
care for them and so they are unlikely to report it or say something to
someone. These are the most senior members of our kinship units, yet
sometimes people don’t include elders in the conversation pertaining to
family violence.

1. What is elder abuse? How common is it? Who are the perpetrators?

  • Please check out this website for the National Center on Elder Abuse: https://ncea.acl.gov/faq/
  • Look at the FAQ’s and
    read the various sections. Some of their data is out dated, but it
    captures the issue in a salient way. This is a big problem.

2. Watch this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eaJXBj87to

3. Search for resources in your area to help people that are experiencing elder abuse.

4. After your have completed 1-3, craft your post for this week. Answer ALL of the following questions:

  1. What did you know about elder abuse prior to this DB exercise?
  2. What stuck out the most to you in both the website and the video?
  3. What do you think can be done to prevent elder abuse? What about reporting?
  4. Share with us the resources you were able to locate in your community. Describe
    what services they provide and what their reporting mechanisms are.
    Don’t forget to provide the URL if you have found a website.
  5. Remember that in
    order to receive full credit for your original post you need to link
    this db post to the course content this week. Please reflect on how this
    relates to the content we’ve covered this week and provide a citation
    and reference for the material you are referencing. You need a total of 2 citations/references this week. One for the content linked here, the other for videos/readings listed in the weekly folder.

Analyze a Poem

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Next, decide which John Donne or Ben Jonson poem you want to do for your analysis (see pp. 1-2).

Once you have chosen which poem you want to analyze, do the following:

  • Paraphrase the poem line by line (Exception: if you have chosen Donne’s The Flea, The Indifferent, or Elegy 19: To His Mistress Going to Bed, you may paraphrase every 2-3 lines).
  • Using ART WARS, tell what the poem is about (A).
  • Using the remaining elements of ART WARS, choose 3 of the 6 to comment on:
    • Repeated themes/ideas
    • Tone
    • Words
    • Alliteration
    • Rhyme/Rhythm
    • Structure
  • Tell us why you chose this poem to analyze. How did it speak to you?
  • Create a question to ask the class about your poem. “You” questions can work very well.

Don’t just say “I see alliteration here” or “These words rhyme”, but be sure to explain what effect these elements have on the poem overall.

I will send the poem to you, and an template.

ACL Tear in Football

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Part 1. You
must create either a PowerPoint presentation/ Prezi or video discussing
an injury.

You will discuss:

What is the injury

structures involved

Mechanism of Injury (how injury occurs)

what
structures are injured, both primary structures and secondary
structures.. for example: MCL injury may have meniscus injury, and
probably muscle injury

and
discuss the rehabilitation protocol… What must you consider in terms
of safety in this program? Does age or gender influence rehabilitation?
What are the typical protocols?

What
exercises will you start with and why? Are there alternative exercises
if the person does not want to perform the one’s you chose due to pain?

Then
just ahead to just before you suggest they are returned to activity and
play. Provide information on how you would determine if they can return
to activity. What functions will you be expecting them to have?

In your PPT please supply the commentary in the notes section of the PPT. Please include photos if possible