This document provides a guide for journalists on cognitive biases. It discusses how journalists must work with large amounts of information quickly and make meaning, which can lead to biases. The guide outlines how preconceived notions and prior beliefs can influence memory and judgment. It encourages journalists to be aware of cognitive biases, catch human errors, and use editors to reduce falling into their own "bias blind spot."

1. *
Cognitive bias:
a guide for journalists
@PaulBradshaw
Birmingham City University/BBC Data Unit

2. https://leanpub.com/u/paulbradshaw
https://onlinejournalismblog.com/

3. *
Question:
A man and his son are in a terrible
accident and are rushed to the hospital
in critical care.
The doctor looks at the boy and
exclaims: "I can't operate on this boy,
he's my son!"
How could this be?

4. **
This one’s for you:
• You work with too much information
• — or too little
• You have to make meaning at speed

5. **
Source

6. **
Part 1: Not enough meaning

7. **
BBC apology

8. **
BBC apology

9. **
BBC apology
And again

10. **
Part 2: Too much information

11. **
yourbias.is/

12. *
https://twitter.com/amandaloviza/status/1114283766804094976

14. "So you’re talking about 2.2 million
deaths, 2.2 million people from this.
And so if we could hold that down to
100,000 … we altogether have done a
very good job."
https://www.gq.com/story/trump-hundred-thousand-dead-good-job

15. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39666686

19. **
Part 3: We need to act fast

20. *

21. *
Source

22. **
https://yourbias.is/the-sunk-cost-fallacy

23. **
Part 4: We choose what to
remember

25. **
So?
• Be human
• Catch human error - don’t fall into
“bias blind spot” (editors help)

26. **
Thanks.
@paulbradshaw