The document discusses how arguments can be disguised and appear objective when they are actually subjective. It notes that facts alone can seem unbiased but are shaped by their context and ordering. As an example, a news story is presented about a protest that unfolds the argument to portray the protesters negatively through three sentences: first as a nuisance, then demanding unreasonable changes, and finally as criminals. This reveals how factual details can be crafted to guide the reader toward a particular interpretation.
5. Powerful Arguments
• Often they are in disguise (reports, histories songs, advertisements, etc...)
• The Objectivity Disguise: Fools the audience into thinking the presented
information is unbiased.
6. Powerful Arguments
• Often they are in disguise (reports, histories songs, advertisements, etc...)
• The Objectivity Disguise: Fools the audience into thinking the presented
information is unbiased.
• Facts can be objective, but their placement can create a framework that
is subjective
7. Powerful Arguments
• Often they are in disguise (reports, histories songs, advertisements, etc...)
• The Objectivity Disguise: Fools the audience into thinking the presented
information is unbiased.
• Facts can be objective, but their placement can create a framework that
is subjective
• Today in Florida, protestors blocked sidewalks and caused undue
congestion in downtown Miami. The protestors were demanding a change
in voting statewide. When reached for comment, the Miami chief of police
said that two people were arrested for blocking the free flow of traffic, and
that everything was back to normal by 6:00 p.m.
9. Beneath the Surface
• Today in Florida, protestors blocked sidewalks and caused undue
congestion in downtown Miami. The protestors were demanding a change
in voting statewide. When reached for comment, the Miami chief of police
said that two people were arrested for blocking the free flow of traffic, and
that everything was back to normal by 6:00 p.m.
10. Beneath the Surface
• Today in Florida, protestors blocked sidewalks and caused undue
congestion in downtown Miami. The protestors were demanding a change
in voting statewide. When reached for comment, the Miami chief of police
said that two people were arrested for blocking the free flow of traffic, and
that everything was back to normal by 6:00 p.m.
11. Beneath the Surface
• Today in Florida, protestors blocked sidewalks and caused undue
congestion in downtown Miami. The protestors were demanding a change
in voting statewide. When reached for comment, the Miami chief of police
said that two people were arrested for blocking the free flow of traffic, and
that everything was back to normal by 6:00 p.m.
• First Sentence: Protestors = nuisance
12. Beneath the Surface
• Today in Florida, protestors blocked sidewalks and caused undue
congestion in downtown Miami. The protestors were demanding a change
in voting statewide. When reached for comment, the Miami chief of police
said that two people were arrested for blocking the free flow of traffic, and
that everything was back to normal by 6:00 p.m.
• First Sentence: Protestors = nuisance
• Second Sentence: Protestors
13. Beneath the Surface
• Today in Florida, protestors blocked sidewalks and caused undue
congestion in downtown Miami. The protestors were demanding a change
in voting statewide. When reached for comment, the Miami chief of police
said that two people were arrested for blocking the free flow of traffic, and
that everything was back to normal by 6:00 p.m.
• First Sentence: Protestors = nuisance
• Second Sentence: Protestors
• Third Sentence: Protestors = criminals
14. Objective View
• Today in Florida, over five thousand protestors assembled in front of the
courthouse in Miami to draw attention to the inequity in voting technology
across the state. According to organizers, wealthier counties have more
updated voting technologies than poorer ones, and officials have yet to
address the disparity. Said Martha Krug, a voting rights advocate, “It’s un-
American, and against the basic principals of democracy.”
15. Questioning To See Beneath the Surface
• How are the two passages different?
• How are protestors portrayed in the first passage?
• How are protestors portrayed in the second passage?
• Are the facts distorted?
• Compare to your Website Evaluation.