While browsing the internet I came across many news articles and entire websites that shared thoughts and informations swaying to a particular side or viewpoint. Media and news reports can be extremely bias and it is important to recognize when a piece of information you are reading forgets to include the opposing opinion.
One article I found very slanted, happens to be a report from the Washington Times by Kevin Sabet; the title of this piece is "Colorado will Show why Legalizing Marijuana is a Mistake".
Here is a link to read the article yourself: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/17/sabet-marijuana-legalizations-worst-enemy/?page=all
This is a perfect example of a slanted or bias report in the news/media. This specific article describes all of the negative sides and troubles pertaining to legalizing marijuana, however, it fails to address any good or positive aspects of the plant. This is most definitely a one-sided post because it fails to address the opposing viewpoint and benefits. I have read numerous cases about people being medically healed from cannabis. There are tons of individuals in this world either fighting cancer or other illnesses, dealing with physical pain, handling emotional instability, or suffering from depression who rely on marijuana as a medication. Many PTSD sufferers use medical marijuana as an antidepressant and for their high anxiety.
This author, Mr. Sabet clearly omits certain information from his article to focus only on the negative side of this issue. He also only uses specific stories and examples to back up his point and disregards all other perspectives. He puts in an example of a 2 year old girl ingesting a marijuana cookie and needing immediate medical attention. There is also mention of this drug increasing the rate of addiction, car crashes, and mental illnesses. No where does he include a medical benefit or positive outlook on the subject whatsoever. This author clearly wants his reader to agree with him that marijuana is bad and should not be legalized in this country; he shows this opinion by highlighting the negative risks and "what if" scenarios that ultimately makes marijuana come off as all bad and dangerous.
I found this website, medicaljane.com, that shares tons of stories about people who have positively utilized marijuana to cure all sorts of illnesses and cases. One specific article I found on this website was about a boy from Phoenix, Arizona by the name Zander Welton who suffers from autism and epilepsy which result in violent seizures. At times these seizures would cause poor little Zander to stop breathing and ultimately slowed down his cognitive development. Surgery was the only option along with a heavy amount of pharmaceutical drugs as well. This ultimately failed to help Zander and actually resulted in even more harmful side effects. The Welton family was introduced to medical marijuana as an extract, a form of cannabidiol oil and an herb. His mother admits that it was difficult decision at first but cannabis was the only thing that finally eased the suffering for her son.
Zander was able to walk backwards for the first time in his life, maintained a lot more focus in kindergarten, slept more peacefully at night and was actively playing around with his brothers and friends. He could go weeks without having a seizure and the marijuana oil ultimately made a huge difference. A claim was made by an attorney in Arizona stating the use of the cannabis oil could actually result in prosecution because it is a much stronger dose than the plant form itself. This was a big concern and fear for Zander's parents because this oil happens to be the only thing making a difference to his condition.
“My husband and I made the heartbreaking decision to stop giving Zander the medical marijuana oil,” stated Jennifer. As heartbreaking as it was, both Jennifer and her husband wanted to follow the law as strictly as possible so they could protect their beloved son from prosecution."
This led the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to file a lawsuit in order to clarify Arizona's medical marijuana specificities and help young Zander. The Maricopa County Superior Court ruled in favor of Zander, reassuring his parents and doctors that they could continue treating his epilepsy with cannabis extracts without the fear of being prosecuted by the law.
As you can see, I have shared a case where marijuana was not just all negative and "dangerous". This drug has positively impacted the lives of so many individuals in our world and you can find countless stories and cases highlighting marijuana benefits. This first article, by Mr. Kevin Sabet was very slanted and failed to recognize that marijuana is good in any way. It is harder to be convinced by this author because he seems to have tunnel vision on the specific subject. A good author is aware of the opposing viewpoints on their topics and addresses them to avoid being bias in their writing.
Whether you are watching the news, reading an article online or listening to the radio, you should always be aware of biased media and slanted reporting. A lot of credibility is taken away from the piece when it is too one-sided. Along with recognizing slanted reporting in the media, it is also very important to not write in this way either. Sometimes when you are really passionate about a certain subject it can be hard not to be biased. In some cases biased ideas can be okay ( like maybe for a blog post, debate or court case); however, in a professional situation, it should be avoided. Good luck out there, there is TONS of slanted ideas in this big world. Happy writing my fellow readers. :)
As you can see, I have shared a case where marijuana was not just all negative and "dangerous". This drug has positively impacted the lives of so many individuals in our world and you can find countless stories and cases highlighting marijuana benefits. This first article, by Mr. Kevin Sabet was very slanted and failed to recognize that marijuana is good in any way. It is harder to be convinced by this author because he seems to have tunnel vision on the specific subject. A good author is aware of the opposing viewpoints on their topics and addresses them to avoid being bias in their writing.
Whether you are watching the news, reading an article online or listening to the radio, you should always be aware of biased media and slanted reporting. A lot of credibility is taken away from the piece when it is too one-sided. Along with recognizing slanted reporting in the media, it is also very important to not write in this way either. Sometimes when you are really passionate about a certain subject it can be hard not to be biased. In some cases biased ideas can be okay ( like maybe for a blog post, debate or court case); however, in a professional situation, it should be avoided. Good luck out there, there is TONS of slanted ideas in this big world. Happy writing my fellow readers. :)
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