How can you apply critically thinking skills when evaluating the media?

Answer 1

The reason to apply critical thinking is that if you don't, you will wind up believing things that are not true, and could be fooled into buying worthless products, and so forth. The method of critical thinking basically is to use everything you know, and try to see how a given statement fits in with your other knowledge. However, if you don't know very much, you may need to get an education first. Also read "The Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan. That book is very helpful.

Answer 2

Throughout history, people have had to apply "critical thinking" to what they read or hear. Even in historical times, writing could contain a mixture of facts, opinions, rumors, with accurate and inaccurate reporting. For example, pre-1940s most newspapers focused more on the Editor/Owner's opinions more than facts. Many pre-1940s newspaper articles in some areas of the United States and in the World showed bias toward "foreigners" and groups different from those in the community. Newspapers were also much more political, showing bias against issues or policies without proof to back up opinion. Rumors abounded, even in crime reporting. Ads made claims about health cures, without any basis.

Critical thinking involves a combination of relying on:

• common sense
• prior education
• prior knowledge
• knowledge of facts, dates, important persons
• personal experience
• in-depth reading on the topic
• thought given to all sides of an argument
• and the ability to weed out misstatements, mis-prints, lies, inaccuracies, and rumors.

Before you believe or quote anything from what you read, you should know or check the facts. Let's say you are reading about Christopher Columbus that says: "This explorer was paid by the Russians in 1442 to build a sailboat to cross the ocean so that the Russian government could establish trade talks with the American Indians." Is any of that true? Except for the name Christopher Columbus and that he crossed the ocean, not one word of the rest reports the facts! How do you know? Because you either recall what you learned about Christopher Columbus and about history, or because you now seek reliable sources to check the information stated. You'd then find that even the date is wrong; it was 1492 not 1442.

You must suspend belief when reading any article. Instead, one question should come to mind with every sentence you read in articles: "Can you prove what you say?"

Some articles are called "opinion pieces" or Editorials. In those cases, you should continually ask: "What are the biases the author holds?" For example, maybe you read a piece that states the government should have no say over how coal mine companies regulate safety within the mines. With a little research, you find that the author is a paid consultant for a major coal company. The author lobbies congressional members to approve legislation that would be the least costly to the coal companies. As a paid lobbyist, the author can be presumed to have a stake in whether the Congress can be convinced to pass laws favorable to the coal companies. In another example, an investigative reporter writes about mine safety and the reporter explores all the issues involved, from the perspective of the companies, the miners, and the government. Typically, investigative reporters build a reputation of reliability through their skills to review all sides of an issue and present these facets without interjecting personal opinion.

Some articles rely on quotes from "experts" to prove a point or points made. Again, you must know the bias of the person being quoted. As "speakers" through the article, you must evaluate each speaker's position and if they hold any bias. *Opinion, even from the best expert, is only an opinion. Opinion resting in facts carries more weight." For example, you'd hardly rely on a wanna-be "scientist" who builds rocket models in his garage late at night, but you'd likely put more weight on a NASA scientist who has had 30 years of experience working on the USA's Space Program.

Some "opinion pieces" only have "experts of opinion", and you must always remember that opinions can and do change. For example, let's say you are reading an article from 2009 which quotes a man saying, "Everybody can find work in the USA if they look! If somebody has no work it's because he's just a 'welfare bum' and too lazy to work." But by 2010 during the height of a recession, the same man now feels differently when he loses his job and must apply for welfare benefits and food stamps to feed his wife and children. He likely still believes--at heart--in a strong work ethic. But when his circumstances changed, he was willing to take the public assistance that he previously condemned.

You should watch for biases from areas of politics, religion/religious beliefs, and financial gain. Each of these can be powerful motivators in beliefs and practices, and are therefore reflected in what is written. Is the person criticizing one political party correct? Or is the person being critical only because their beliefs are of the opposing party? Is the person who preaches doomsday predictions speaking from facts or from their religious beliefs?

Whether you are reading an article about someone's family tree, or an article about international relations, fact-checking and critical thinking make the best readers, thinkers, debaters, writers, and educators. For example, a genealogist was reading a book that said a woman was born in July of 1858 and later the author states the woman's first child was born in 1868. Being pregnant at age 9 and giving birth at age 10 is not possible. Or, if you read about a politician who said he was in the Vietnam War during 1975-76, you'd know the dates do not match that war. Because you have learned to read with a critical eye and critical thought-processes, you'd be able to point out these discrepancies in what you read.

Answer 3

Well, think of it as:

Is the article reliable? 5W1H would be a good start when evaluating the reliability of the article

And the second thing is the validity, is what the author states in the article valid? Are there any holes in his arguments?

While evaluating article, you have to try to unveil every biases and uncertainties that the articles tries to hide away(intentionally and unintentionally).

Answer 4

The reason to apply critical thinking is that if you don't, you will wind up believing things that are not true, and could be fooled into buying worthless products, and so forth. The method of critical thinking basically is to use everything you know, and try to see how a given statement fits in with your other knowledge. However, if you don't know very much, you may need to get an education first. Also read "The Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan. That book is very helpful.

Answer 5

When evaluating the media, you can apply critical thinking skills by verifying information with multiple sources, considering the credibility and bias of the sources, and questioning the motives behind the information presented. It's important to look for evidence, analyze the language and tone used, and be aware of any logical fallacies or manipulation techniques that may be used in the media content.