The Media Contributes to Our Fear or Concern Over the Safety

question 58

Multiple Choice

The media contributes to our fear or concern over the safety of flying.Which statement is an example of the confirmation bias exhibited by the media in relation to flight safety?

• A) While the media reports plane crashes and other emergency situations, it never reports how many safe flights occur in a given day.
• B) The media supports an agenda that aims to reduce air travel.
• C) News reports show a bias toward events that are unexpected and might represent Type I errors.
• D) The expected relative-frequency probability of plane accidents is reflected in the news reports, although when converted to personal probabilities, we make errors in judgment.

---

Definitions:

Empiricism

A philosophical approach that emphasizes the role of experience and evidence from the senses in the formation of knowledge.

Demonstrable Fact

Information that can be proven with evidence.

Qualitative Research

A research method focused on understanding phenomena from a human perspective, often involving collecting and analyzing non-numerical data such as text, images, or videos.

Contestable

A characteristic of theories, arguments, or propositions that they can be debated or challenged due to the presence of alternative viewpoints.