Bias

Bias is a hefty word, and is often used in description of media practitioners. In sports journalism, bias is thought to be the most obvious sin of all, since there are usually only two sides involved, unlike in other fields.

It is hard to say one is completely unbiased. The mere choice of words to describe an event or subject already creates a certain leaning, since words have implications and connotations that may not completely coincide with their dictionary meaning. That’s one reason why the church uses Latin, there is only one meaning, no other interpretation.

But to be realistic, there is bias in everything, and often it is unintentional. If you’ve seen more than a few movies, you’ll know that using a low camera angle and pointing it up at a subject makes the person look more fearsome, while looking down at someone makes them appear weak or small. That’s considered a technical bias, definitely by design.

So is anything safe? Actually, no. But we can minimize the perception of bias through our choice of words, and often by describing the action, not the person. To call a bad pass a bad pass pretty much defines it plainly. But to impute that it was stupid adds unwanted color to the description.

Name-calling is the most blatant form of bias. It also labels people and organizations and marks them in ways that benefit either the critic or the entity itself.

What are some of the things that determine our biases?

Genetics. One of my sons inherited asthma from my side of the family. Early on, we were told not to give him chocolate or other food that may trigger attacks. So, as a substitute, we taught him to take strawberry instead. That became his preferred flavor for years. Many swimmers take up the sport to escape the discomfort of asthma or other respiratory ailments. Thus, they favor this sport above all.

Education. The school you’re from and the course you take can also affect your paradigm. Doctors, lawyers and engineers obviously have their own technical jargon. But notice how you tend to gravitate to those within your profession, or alumni of your school. The similarity of experience sometimes creates a bias in favor of one group over another. Just look at college rivalries like La Salle and Ateneo. Not too many people even remember how or why it started.

Upbringing. Racism and family traditions are two belief systems that you may have inherited subconsciously. If you grow up hearing your parents being critical of certain sectors in society, you will tend to carry those subconscious beliefs. Bigots are just so full of self-righteousness that they don’t care what other people think or do. But bigotry is generally self-destructive, and has no place in our society. Just among provinces in the Visayas, there is plenty of animosity, which is a shame, really, since there is so much to agree on.

Organizational affiliation. In the corporate world, you will have rivals. That’s the way it is. This also is a consideration in deciding whether to change jobs or not. Sometimes, though, competition can get carried away. You tend to trumpet the group you’re with, and it sometimes gets out of hand.

How do we deal with bias? The best thing to do is to identify it and classify it. If you like a certain player or team, ask yourself why. That may help you head in the right direction analytically.

Secondly, make sure you yourself try to show as little bias as possible. As they say, attack the deed, not the doer. That has always stuck in my mind. You don’t want to end up branding all the players and having them develop a bias against you, do you?

Third, be on the lookout for bias in everything you do. Someone is always trying to sell you something new, whether it be a product, person or idea. Someone, somewhere wants your money in exchange for something, whether it be for cash or kind.

Maybe it’s time we ask ourselves: If the media were totally unbiased, what would it want to do? Would it still function the way it does today?

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The Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP) is also inviting all of its members who wish to renew their membership to fax 687-1048 or e-mail [email protected]. For all non-BCAP members and regular folk, you may comment on any issue in sports through [email protected] or [email protected].