Bias is defined as prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

            By its' definition, there should be definable acts of bias that can be cited.

            Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but nobody is entitled to their own facts.  Facts are facts and if they're not cited and verified, well, then it's just your opinion.

            Social media is a way of sharing opinions but seldom is a way of stating facts.

            Take for instance the ongoing search for the four missing men in lower Bucks County.

            Shortly after the search began, social media was alive with reports that their bodies had been found.  Was there bias displayed by the posters against the family who owned the property being searched?

            Or was it just another eager, and irresponsible, social media user trying to be the first to post the "breaking news?"

            The Bucks County District Attorney was quick to squash the false reports.  He should also have condemned those who reported it.

            Either way, that premature, false and unverified information had to be devastating for the families of the missing men. Members of these families have been at the scene of the search since it began, waiting for word of their loved ones.

            Then, enter social media and the irresponsible people who excite themselves by being the first to post an update – even if it's false. At least they were first and they received some sort of sickening self-gratification from that. I wonder what they felt, if anything, after learning their message was false.

            How often do we see people posting half-truths and outright false information on social media simply because they can?

            How often do readers absorb that information and quickly "share" it without verifying or understanding it simply because they can?

            Before you put your fingers on the keyboard of your electronic weapon and post your message, think about the truthfulness of what you're posting. If you haven't verified it, don't post it, or at the very least, announce in your posting that the information has not been verified.  Or label it with IMO (in my opinion).

            You'll be saving some folks from a lot of heartache. You might also avoid any misunderstandings and avoid a cyber fight.

            But at the least, you'll be keeping yourself out of trouble.