If you're wondering if all news coverage you see and read is unbiased the answer is no. There are some TikTokers, influencers and even newspapers who purposely present a balanced view. But there are also more subtle biases we all have that can really change how we view and react to a story.
Unconscious bias is a theory that say we all have deep rooted thoughts and feelings about people, places and things. We're not always aware of them but they can change the way we view things.
Because it's unconscious it's hard to spot in other people and ourselves. So we put our Confession Pod celebrities; magician and YouTuber Dan Rhodes, presenter and influencer Zara McDermott, comedian Russell Kane, body positive influencer Miah Carter, musician Wes Nelson and disability rights activist and TikToker India Sasha to the test!
In this Confession Pod, our celebs talk about personality traits of footballers, what you’d expect a reality TV star to be like and MORE! They try and understand the theory, give examples of it that they’ve seen and work out if they have their own unconscious bias. They talk openly and honestly about how their OWN unconscious bias of others have impacted how they have read news articles (and the people it involves).
Often, a one-sided news story can influence your own unconscious bias. One-sided reporting, where you don’t see the other side of the story, is common in clickbait articles online and in the Tabloid press. The ±«Óătv, ITV, Channel 4 and some newspapers have really strict rules and processes for making sure they balance their reporting, so they don’t show a bias that their readers and viewers might have.
If you’re sharing news that you’ve read on the socials, take a bit of time to work out if the news is balanced, or you’re sharing it due to your unconscious bias.
