Bias Scanner Prompt: Detect Framing, Loaded Language & Missing Views
Systematic bias detection: identify framing choices, loaded words, missing perspectives, and get a neutral rewrite.
Types of Bias These Prompts Detect
Every text has a perspective. The question isn’t whether bias exists — it always does — but whether you can detect bias in an article before it influences you unconsciously.
Framing bias: The same facts arranged to support different conclusions. “Government cuts wasteful spending” vs “Government slashes essential services” — same policy, opposite emotional responses. PR022 surfaces whose interests the framing serves.
Selection bias: What facts were included? More importantly, what was left out? PR022’s “research independently” question forces you to consider missing information.
Authority bias: The author cites credentials or “experts” to build trust. PR022 evaluates whether that authority is relevant and whether alternative expert views exist.
Emotional bias: Language designed to trigger emotional responses rather than rational evaluation. PR024’s “emotional appeals” question isolates these techniques.
Omission bias: The absence of counterarguments, alternative explanations, or inconvenient data. Both prompts work together to surface what’s missing.
“Government Slashes Support for Working Families” and “Government Streamlines Welfare to Reduce Waste” describe the same policy. Neither is lying. But the framing triggers empathy in one case, approval in another. Running PR022 on both versions surfaces who benefits from each framing.
The Two-Prompt Workflow
These prompts work in sequence. PR022 (Source Interrogator) analyzes WHO is speaking and WHY. PR024 (Rhetorical Move Spotter) analyzes HOW they’re trying to persuade you.
Step 1 — Read first: Read the article yourself. Note where you feel persuaded or uneasy — that’s often where bias hides. Your gut reactions are data.
Step 2 — Run PR022: Paste the full text and run the Source Interrogator. Get analysis of author perspective, expertise, audience shaping, and what to research independently.
Step 3 — Run PR024: Same text, second prompt. Get analysis of credibility moves, emotional appeals, counterargument handling, and persuasion techniques.
Step 4 — Verify and decide: AI flags potential bias. You decide what matters. Not all bias is equally important — mild framing in a feature article is different from suppressed evidence in a policy report.
After running both prompts, ask AI: “Rewrite this passage neutrally, removing loaded language while preserving the facts.” Comparing the original to the neutral version reveals how much the framing was doing.
What to Do After AI Flags Bias
AI flagging bias is the starting point, not the conclusion. Once you have AI’s analysis:
Verify the flags: Go back to the original text. Can you find the specific sentences AI pointed to? If AI claims emotional language was used, does the passage actually read that way to you?
Assess severity: Not all bias matters equally. Ask: does this bias change the conclusion? Does it hide important information?
Seek the missing perspective: If AI identifies one-sided sourcing, find an article from the other side. Use Evidence Check Prompt (C040) to evaluate the quality of evidence, or News Critical Lens (C035) for news-specific analysis.
Form your own view: The goal isn’t to reject everything with bias — that would leave you reading nothing. The goal is to see the bias, adjust for it, and form your own informed view.
This is the first guide in the Critical Reading pillar. Continue to Evidence Check, Compare Articles, Fact-Check Mode, and more. Return to AI for Reading for the complete system.
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