Fact vs.

Opinion
Erasmus+ Programme – Strategic Partnership Project Nr: 2016-1-RO01-KA203-
024798
Distinguishing between fact and opinion

 Being able to discern the differences between fact and opinion will help
your evaluation of the reliability and usefulness of texts you encounter.
 Critical thinking is the best possible way of determining which statements
are fact and which statements are opinion.
 It may seem at first that the differences are easy to see; however, not
everything is as black and white as it first seems.
Reliability. Confidence. Statements

Near Near
Probability Possibility Unlikelihood
certainty impossibility

If wording is emotional,
supports a particular bias,
discredits alternatives
If claim
is too
broad
If the information is
opinion or cannot be
objectively verified.
What are they?

A fact is something which

can be verified with
evidence.

An opinion is based on
belief and viewpoint.
Opinions are often personal
interpretations and cannot
be verified with evidence
 Evidence -
Data - facts Opinions FACT
WANNABES
Interpretation of data
• Cause and effect
Views of experts
Accepted as secure starting
• Predictions
point • Solutions or policy
• Judgement or taste

Common sense
Objectively verifiable:
• historical reports,
• experimental data,
• scientific observation,
• statistical data, Eyewitness accounts
• cause and effect
 Yes Opinion
Subjective
adjective?
No Fact

No Opinion

Fact or opinion Evidence?

No Opinion

Yes Fact Reliable evidence?

Yes Fact

Yes Fact Counterevidence?

Yes Opinion
No Fact or opinion
Words like ”think”
or ”seem”?
No Fact
 • The Earth is round.

Facts
• Summer follows spring.
• The 2010 world cup took place in South Africa.
• The British Winter of 2009/2010 was the coldest for 30
years.

• I think that rock music is awful.

Opinions
• The legal age for drinking should be lowered to 16.
• London is the best city in the world.
• Opinion
• Today seems hotter than yesterday
What did the first slide say?
• The Earth is round.

Facts
• Summer follows spring.
• The 2010 world cup took place in South Africa.
• The British Winter of 2009/2010 was the coldest for 30
years.

• I think that rock music is awful.

Opinions
• The legal age for drinking should be lowered to 16.
• London is the best city in the world.
• Opinion
• Today seems hotter than yesterday
Keep in mind
 ...that facts can be influenced by opinion and bias, especially in the
media and in (some) research projects (especially qualitative research).
That is, even facts presented as facts, are not always completely
objective and 'sacred‘ as once claimed
– Scott, C.P. cited in Edwards, D & D. Cromwell (2009).

 A selector must select the facts they will present. In doing so, they are
exercising a judgments about what they think is important. This is, in
essence, an opinion, as it reflects the beliefs of the person delivering it.
– Edwards, D & D. Cromwell (2009)
Puzzle 3 (cont’d) - Homework
 Start a private Google Sheets file that acts as „comment taker” for this
Summer School.
– All of you are on the Google Sheets
– Comment and communicate throughout the week on this Google Sheet about what you
want< teachers, topics, food, good coffee, etc.
– Each comment will be a new line
– No teachers allowed
– Use English, but you may also experiment with comments in other languages

 On Friday, run Text Analysis on this document

 What is the sentiment?
Extra info after Puzzle
 https://
www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/12/how-we-analysed-70
m-comments-guardian-website

 https://
medium.com/google-cloud/understanding-facebook-reactions-using-s
entiment-analysis-f17b6e561ff3
What did you learn from the
puzzles?