ABSTRACT
A society is fortunate if it has a free media. A free media does not, however, mean that it provides an unbiased presentation. In order to cope with bias in the media, the public needs the capacity for critical thinking. Two examples are given of how a gullible public can be made to believe interpretations of events that may not be true. One was the allied invasion of Iraq in 2003, in which public support was acquired for the invasion without a solid basis. The other was the 1973 Chilean military coup for which the public has largely adopted a certain viewpoint based on a media campaign. In addition to distorting the truth, the mainstream media may ignore issues that should be of importance. Two of these are described: those of Agenda 21 or sustainable development and the British immigration policy since the 1980s. Opinion writers can have a large influence because a large number of people may read their columns regularly. If the writings are consistently biased, readers may easily adopt false viewpoints unless they have skills in critical thinking.
