You already know what facts and opinions are. Facts can be proven to be true. Opinions are Judgments that people make. What about blas? Bias is an unfair "slant" that a writer glves to a topic. Some writers may do it by accident. Perhaps they have such strong views that they don't realize they are presenting only one point of view or only a portion of the facts. Other writers bias thelr work on purpose to present their own views and to persuade others to believe as they do. Can you find the bias—the unfair slant-In this part of a report on a debate between two candidates for mayor? An enthusiastic crowd greeted Mr. Sam Walker and Brian O'Connor, our two candidates for mayor, at the start of the debate. Mr. Walker acknowledged his supporters, while O'Connor took his seat on stage. Mr. Walker energetically addressed each question that came his way. O'Connor took a more low-key approach as he answered questions calmly. Predictably, the questions focused on the economy and local development issues. Mr. Walker, with his background in both accounting and real estate, was well suited to handle these topics. O'Connor has a legal background. The writer refers to one candidate, very respectfully, as "Mr. Walker." The other candidate,'for whatever reason, does not get that same respect. Walker is described as "energetic," and O'Connor is only "calm." Finally, the writer provides one piece of Information about the background of each candidate and implies that one man is perfectly suited to the job, while the other is not How could this writer have avoided bias? Consider these possibilities: He could have referred to both candidates by only their last names. He could have given equal coverage. For example, it is likely that both candidates acknowledged their supporters, so that is what should be reported. The report comments on how the candidates answered questions (energetically and calmly), but does not report on the content of the candidates' answers. How can voters Judge? Can you think of other changes that would remove blas from the report?​