Confirmation Bias

The act of favoring or opposing something is known as bias. Bias is something that cannot be avoided no matter how hard one tries. It is all around us, yet there are methods to restrict this act of favoring one person or thing over another. Using factual information, such as proof and statistics, can often increase the credibility of a statement and decrease the unfairness created by someone, even if it is unintended.

Confirmation bias is one of the most common types of bias. This happens when someone searches for and analyzes data that supports a pre-existing idea or theory. After obtaining this knowledge, the individual would dismiss the possibility of a second side. This type of cognitive bias manifests itself in the rapid denial of factual evidence that contradicts one's beliefs, the active pursuit of information, whether statistics or merely opinions, that will support one's assumption, and selective recollection of particular events or information.

There are strategies to avoid confirmation bias, and one of them is to conduct research that contradicts one's beliefs. When looking for information, it's crucial to consider where it's coming from, check to see if the material is relevant to the topic and the time frame. Even in magazines, methods like the ones discussed above can go a long way in reducing confirmation bias, despite the fact that it is difficult to totally prevent. For example, in my magazine it is crucial for me to fact check every science fact and cell-theory I include to be able to provide the best information for my audience. 

Essentially, my magazine layout will take extensive detail to avoid confirmation bias but it is the best way to provide information to my audience and put my best work out there.

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