As you have learned, using a word's nuances to evoke a feeling or tone is very common. Advertisers, journalists, politicians, and poets do it every day. However, just because something is commonly done doesn't mean it's completely harmless.
Bias in language refers to a writer's or speaker's prejudices or hidden agenda. The writer or speaker uses nuanced meanings to unfairly portray people or events in a way that supports his or her opinions. A reader who is not paying attention may overlook the bias and automatically accept the writer's opinions as facts.
As a consumer of language, you need to be able to identify bias and think critically about both a person's argument and his or her word choice. Careful readers do not let themselves be manipulated.
Read the following passage. Then answer the questions below.
Mrs. Archer was a stern woman, powerfully built and unsmiling. Each child who entered her lair felt her judgmental gaze and trembled.
Question
Is this a biased or unbiased portrait of Mrs. Archer? How do you know?
The portrait is probably biased. The words stern, powerfully built, and unsmiling could simply be factual, but the word lair makes Mrs. Archer seem like a monster.
Now compare the passage above to this one.
Mrs. Archer was a strict woman, tall and strong and serious. Each student who entered her classroom felt her appraising gaze and was nervous.
Notice that Mrs. Archer still comes across as a tough teacher, but she is not portrayed as a monster. The second version is less likely to be biased than the first one.
