Blog Stage Three

On September 29th, 2010 an opinion piece was published on the statesman.com entitled “Texas messes with Islam.” The article deals with the recent changes to education materials such as textbooks that the Texas school board have passed.

This article was written by an unknown author. Due to the authors anonymity, I am unable to verify their credentials. The article, though, is posted on the statesman.com therefore the individual must have a background that justifies his presence on the website. Why? Readers place trust in their media companies to keep them properly informed. If media companies are found to dispel facts or information that are incorrect, it would cause their readers to lose trust and faith in their reporting resulting in a loss of readership. It is also viewed as a civic responsibility of the media companies to properly inform their readers of current and political events, a distinguish many companies strive for.

I feel that the writers anonymity is a bit of an issue. One of the reasons why to write an opinionated article versus a straight factual article is that you do not have to be biased but are there to present and persuade a reader to your viewpoint you are presenting. Displaying your name and being proud of your work displays strength which translate into leadership to the casual reader which helps to gain their trust and to have them view more favorably your argument and maybe even have them believe in the same view point you are presenting.

The article deals with the topic of Texas recently passing motions to limit the references to Islam in textbooks. The author has aimed the article so this event is viewed in a negative light. The main focus of his article is not so much the change that is being presented but society being more concerned about political correctness then allowing the students to have access to an unbiased total view of the material that will better inform and challenge them.

His arguments are based on more of an opinion and observation then scientific fact or measurable data therefore it is hard to back up his claims he is presenting. The writer can better back up his claims based upon studies that have already been preformed in the field of psychology. Since he discusses “material that will better inform and challenge them” then he can focus on the field of cognitive psychology due to its field of study in the higher mentality processes of the human condition and how denying all opportunities can affect a human being and their behavior in the future.

The writer needs to understand, though, that there is always going to be a skewed perspective or biased view in any material written. In high school we did a project where the class was given ten factual bits of information and were told to write a summarization including all those facts. Each of our reports written were different from one another due to social conditions and our life's experiences guiding us on how we presented the facts. What he considers bias is not the same to others whereas what he views the truth may not be the same for others.

I agree overall with the tone of the article but not the facts or perspective that was presented by the writer. Also I am understanding as well that there is so much out there that is of historical significance I know we cannot expect our children to learn and understand every aspect and that some items need to be left out if viewed as of least importance. If they are of importance to you and those are your children then it should be up to you, not a text book or an educator to present those views or historical events and values to your child.