Be on the lookout for one-sided arguments – if the author only presents one side of an argument, his/her writing is probably biased. Does the author present facts or opinions? Facts are what they are – the truth. But opinions can be based on feelings, emotions, or prejudices, which aren't objective.

Sensationalism, bias in favor of the exceptional over the ordinary, giving the impression that rare events, such as airplane crashes, are more common than common events, such as automobile crashes. "Hierarchy of death" and "missing white woman syndrome" are examples of this phenomenon.

For example, an article biased toward riding a motorcycle would show facts about the good gas mileage, fun, and agility. An article biased against motorcycle riding would show facts about risk of injury and noise, and ignore positive facts about motorcycles.