Course Instructor Assigned Civic Action Item
Course Instructor Assigned Civic Action Item
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Summary:
On October 21, 2021, the FDA issued emergency use authorization to use the Covid-19 vaccine on children aged 5 to 11. Shots cannot be administered yet, that can only happen once it is approved by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC. The FDA has stated that for children, the dose of the vaccine will be reduced to one-third of the normal dose to reduce the risk of the side effects. The FDA also said that the vaccine provides around 90% protection against the virus. Other experts on the field such as Dr. Michael Kurilla say that the lower dose of the vaccine might not be as effective as the dose for adults, so he does not support the decision. Martin Kulldorf, professor of medicine at Harvard, stated that the vaccine for children is not necessary because Covid is not deadly for most children. Many parents are worried and reluctant to take their children to get the vaccine if it is approved. Other parents want to wait and see if it is convenient.
Analysis:
Date: 10/31/2021
The conservative article from The Epoch Times had the most noticeable biases and logical fallacies. As soon as we take a look around when first opening the article, we see the first bias which is bias by placement of the comment section that is full of conservative comments of parents saying things about the FDA and against the vaccine. The second bias found was slant; the article focuses the most on negative statements against the vaccine and why it should not be used or approved, but there are no statements for any positive aspects other than what the FDA has stated. The third and last bias is bias by omission because the journalist does not state in the article a piece of important information which is the reduction of the dose for children to help reduce side effects it is mentioned in a vague way by one of the experts interviewed, but it is not mentioned in detail by the journalist. Only one logical fallacy was found: Red herring, it happens in Kulldor statement where he says “can be infected, just like they can get the common cold, but they’re not a big threat. They don’t die from this, except in very rare circumstances. So if you want to talk about protecting children or keeping children safe, I think we can talk about traffic accidents, for example, which they are really at some risk.” He is changing the subject from covid to traffic accidents.
Moving on to the liberal article from CNN News, there were a couple biases. First I found bias by omission. This happens because the article focuses too much on the positive aspects of the vaccine and do not explain anything about the still possible risks and side effects on children. It does not provide more perspectives other than positive ones. The other bias I found was bias by omission of source, the journalist wrote multiple times “FDA officials said…” and “Pfizer said…” but who are the officials? Who made those statements?
As a reader, if I am presented only one of the articles, I will side with the article I read because I do not have the complete information on the subject if I am only provided with one side of the story. On the other hand, if I get to read both articles and see all the positives and negative aspects of the situation, I will be able to form an opinion by myself looking at the pros and cons.
References:
Phillips, J. (2021, October 29). FDA Authorizes Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use in Children Aged 5 to 11. The Epoch Times.
Fox, M. (2021, October 29). FDA authorizes Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11. CNN News.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/29/health/pfizer-vaccine-fda-eua-young-kids-bn/index.html
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